For The First Time
by eternallypeaceful
Summary: Troy went from an effortless life to basic survival mode in a matter of seconds. But he's not alone and he has Gabriella to thank for that. As the two try to build a better future, everything seems to want to stop them from making it. Watch their journey.
1. Prologue

**So, I don't know what you call a prologue- but for me, it's a very small bit of a story that is about to play out. For me, when I get an idea- first, something like this will pop into my head. A scene that I absolutely adore. Something that if you saw in a movie, you would be running high for days. **

**Yeah, this is one of those. I definitely want to build on it soon .but for now, I wanted to share this scene and see if you guys were interested in it at all. I'm sure, I'll be putting up chapters for it even if you don't like it because I would love to explore this story and these characters. **

**Obviously, the theme song is 'For the First Time' by The Script – which is one of my favorite songs. I think this story was mostly inspired by this song- and I'm sure you guys will see why. In totally this is like 500 words or something so it's really ,really short but I hope you guys will like it anyway. Thanks!**

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><p>"<em>Oh, these times are hard. Yeah, there making us crazy. Don't give up on me, baby"<br>~__**For The First Time **__by The Script_

_Prologue _

Troy stared up at his ceiling, his breath in synchronization with Gabriella's. Their hands were grazing each other, only meeting at the fingertips. She was almost the replica of Troy's position right now except her right knee was bent and the sole of her foot was resting on the hard mattress beneath them. Troy could feel warmth radiating off of her in their chilled new apartment. Even though he told himself this a long time ago, he had yet to face it. This was his new home. This was _their _new home.

"I feel…" Gabriella started to say something, pausing to choose her word. He listened, ears perking up just a tad, but didn't stray his eyes away from the ceiling. "…guilty,"

At this, Troy turned his head. Gabriella's expression was far off. Her eyes looked at the ceiling as if engrossed in a delicate painting of some sort. Troy measured her face. She was like this a lot: distant. It could be annoying for Troy but he learned to read her in the past year of them being together. Most of the time, he could bring her back to him. This time, he just wanted to watch her. Stare at her and observe everything, like she was on display.

"Guilty?" Troy prompted, calling out to her. This was not something that he wanted to hear after they've just moved in together. Gabriella gave one nod of her head. She didn't respond until her head suddenly shifted towards Troy's. She caught him off guard with her gaze.

"Yeah" she said to him softly.

"Why guilty?"

Gabriella took a deep breath, head tilting back up at the ceiling "I have lived in this hell hole my whole life, Troy" she explained. Troy turned his body now and placed his hand on her waist. With it he drew small circles on the exposed skin of her abdomen where her shirt lifted up. He moved his head closer to hers, enough to smell her hair.

"Dead-end job, minimal pay, crappy apartment in the worst part of town- It's all been with me forever, my whole family is like this" she continued. "But, you" she met with Troy's eyes again. Troy didn't smile or frown, he just watched her speak, lovingly. "You gave up everything…for me"

Now, Gabriella turned to face him. With both of them on their sides now, Troy pulled her waist closer to his while Gabriella nestled into his chest.

"You could've gone to college, lived your life in the highest, and gotten some big job. But instead, you're stuck here with me" she said to his chest.

Troy gently placed a hand on her cheek, lifting her head up to face his. His eyes flickered from her eyes to lips before reaching down and placing a slow kiss on her lips.

He pulled backed, leaving Gabriella breathless. Troy wiped away a hair from her face ,not breaking eye contact even once, and said:

"You're worth it".


	2. Chapter 1

**Hola readers! This is the first official chapter of this story and really excited for it. I have posted a new story and please, if you like what you see go check out my other two. Thanks for subscriptions and reviews! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of High School Musical or the song Two is Better Than one by Boys Like Girls.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"<em>Maybe it's true, that I can't live without you. Well, maybe two is better than one. There's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life. And you've already got me coming undone. And, I'm thinking two is better than one"<em>

_**Two is Better Than One **__by Boys Like Girls featuring Taylor Swift_

Troy stared at the open hood of the car in front of him, fiddling with the oily black towel in his hands. He stare was blank, as if he was trying to figure out what was wrong with the engine even though he had just spent the last hour fixing it up to a proper condition.

The past few weeks went by like a dream. They were horribly slow to Troy and the whole time his heart felt like there was a piece of it missing. Troy had started a new job at Rick's Car Clinic just three days after he moved into a new apartment with Gabriella. His parents officially cut him off at the beginning of the Fall quarter when he first refused to break up with Gabriella, leaving him with no way of paying for his attendance at NYU; therefore, he was no longer a part of the university's student mass. He had left the luxurious life of the Upper East Side of Manhattan and joined his girlfriend, Gabriella, in what could have been an alien planet.

"Careful, Troy" a gentle female voice called out to him. "Too much concentration is bad for you".

Troy's eyes flickered up and they landed on a beautiful woman. He grinned. He placed a hand on the hood of the car and slammed it shut.

Wiping his hands on the navy blue jumper, he greeted her, "Ella, hey!".

Gabriella took large steps towards him. "Hi" she said and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him passionately.

"What are you doing here?" Troy asked. He found a new comfort now, with Gabriella in his arms. The void in his heart was suddenly nonexistent. Gabriella beamed up at him, amused.

"Even my job lets me have Thanksgiving off, silly" she mocked before kissing him on the lips again. Troy let her kiss him fully and held onto the small of her back like she was some kind of divine hallucination.

To Troy, Gabriella was the strongest woman he'd ever met. She lived with her aunt after her parents left Gabriella stranded at her doorstep when she was barely a year old. Her aunt was in and out of jail for drug trafficking and while there, Gabriella was under the custody of whoever her aunt's boyfriend was at the time. She fought them off, protecting herself from their violent eyes every day, until she turned 18 and could live on her own. She used all of her savings from working at her an old coffee shop since she was 15 to find a small place of her own clear away from her aunt. Of course, her new roommates were a story of their own. She got a job at the casual dine-in she works in now and maintained herself until a blue eyed stranger walked into her section of the restaurant and changed her life forever.

"I mean, what are you doing here?" Troy corrected himself. He kept Gabriella close, still.

"Can't I come visit my boyfriend at his job?" she asked, teasingly.

"Not if it means you're distracting him" someone behind them said before Troy could answer. They both looked up quickly. Another man in a matching jumpsuit with wild curly brown hair was smiling at them toothily.

"Hey, Gabriella" he greeted her.

"Hi, Chad" Gabriella said smiling at him. Chad glanced at Troy, now.

"Seriously, though, if Rick sees her here…you're only a few weeks on the job, man, don't.." he didn't finish.

"Yeah-"Troy said, understanding what his fellow employee meant. Gabriella shifted beside him but he kept a strong arm around her waist.

"Maybe I should leave, then" she offered in a small voice only to Troy. His heart withered again, silently begging for her not to leave. Troy met her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Okay" he submitted. He was desperate and Troy knew that Gabriella could see right through it. She placed a hand on his shoulder and wrapped the other arm around his waist and took his lips in hers again. Troy's mind reeled. She pulled away too quickly, leaving him breathless.

"I love you" Troy told her sincerely. She vaulted on her toes once more to peck him on his cheek after he said that.

"Love you more" Gabriella whispered in his ear before unraveling herself from Troy's arms. "Be home soon" she told him and walked away slowly. Troy watched her retreated figure. He waited for her until just before she opened the door out the garage; she turned her head, gave him a wide smile and then disappeared out the door.

Troy looked down and then back up at Chad, whom he almost forgot was witnessing the whole scene right in front of them.

"So" Chad said. "no big plans for Thanksgiving?" Chad bent over the hood of his assigned car and began wrenching a nut tight while waiting for Troy's answer.

"Nah, just me and the girl, I guess" Troy said. He kicked the tire of the car he was working on to see if it was healthy.

"Gonna go with Chinese?" Chad asked, still hovering over his car.

"Huh?" Troy had no idea what he meant. Now, Chad lifted his head.

"Chinese. Like the food." Chad tried to explain but when Troy's expression didn't change, he came to a sudden realization. "Holy shit, is this your first Thanksgiving without a big ass turkey on the table?"

Troy's heart jumped. He looked away and didn't answer. He didn't realize that there isn't a chance that tonight he would be getting the meal was used to every Thanksgiving. He furrowed his eyebrows and bit his lip. Thanksgiving was a celebration his parent's did so freely at home. They had no care in the world about it. Then again, they had no care in the world about most things. The big fancy table, the list of things you're thankful for, the relatives, the desserts, the little kids running around, the grandmothers who kept pinching your cheeks every time they passed by and like Chad said, "the big ass turkey' on the table all were things that Troy took for granted. A strange feeling settled over him, like another layer of this foreign country he was new to just opened up to him.

When Troy didn't reply, Chad thought he might've struck a sensitive point. "Damn, I'm sorry, man" he apologized.

"No, don't be sorry" Troy shrugged off.

Chad watched Troy for a few moments before returned for the damaged engine in his greasy hands, unsure about what he should feel now.

"What about you?" Troy asked. He was under the car now, inspecting it thoroughly.

"Uh, just in time with my wife and son, probably" Chad told him awkwardly.

Troy nodded even though Chad couldn't see him. Chad is 23, the same age as Troy, and already with wife and a two year old son. He and his wife, Taylor, were high school sweethearts. When Taylor was 18, she became pregnant with their son. The two got married and after college, they began a life of their own.

Troy rolled out from underneath the car with a sigh and glanced at Chad for a heartbeat. He was taken back to his best friend in college, John Morgan. He was exactly like Troy: spoiled upbringing, easy access into a college their parents donate a fortune to every year, doesn't care about the next guy as much as he cares about himself. Troy thought the two were bound together for the rest of their lives- that is, until he found John in bed with his girlfriend just before Troy met Gabriella. That ended their relationship effectively. But, the difference was, Troy never used look at his friends and sympathize. The thing that bonded Chad and Troy was the hardships that they go through now, that made them fight against life significantly less. Here, no one was the same old, cookie-cutter version of himself. Everyone had their story. Everyone worked hard.

Troy took a deep breath again and returned for the inspection of the car he was assigned to. He just got the hang of how things worked at the garage but he was yet to get accustomed to his new life. With another exhale, Troy wondered if he would ever get accustomed to his new life or if it would just haunt him until he died.

When he first thought of moving in with Gabriella, he was literally on a high off of her. She made him ecstatic. And, she had the perfect strategy to hide the rest of her life from him. He still remembered the first day he entered her old apartment. He was, to say the least, shocked. The little puppy Troy had never strayed this far away from home. If he could take back anything, he would take the first expression he had when he saw the mess she lived in with her roommates. Even though he really didn't want to think about how he must've hurt Gabriella that day in early March, the memory crept into his mind.

"_It's not much" Gabriella said to him. Troy's lips grazed her shoulders with his hands on her waist and her body leaning into him as she fiddled with the lock of her apartment. He brushed away strands of hair with his fingers and kissed her neck. She shifted, tilting her neck to the side and refusing Troy the access. Gabriella turned in his arms to face him and walked him backward until his waist leaned on a balcony two stories above the ground._

"_Listen, are you sure you want to do this?" Gabriella's eyes were nervous. _

_Troy couldn't see why she was so anxious about letting him see her apartment and meet her roommates. He knew that it's obviously going to be different than what he's used to but he was sure the gory movie collection he had at home would suffice as preparation. He kissed Gabriella's lips slowly. _

"_Yeah" he told her, very confident. _

"_Promise you won't freak out?" _

"_I promise" he said and kissed her again. Gabriella gave out a long breath and turned the door knob to her apartment to open the door. _

_Immediately, Troy's stomach dropped. A huge cloud of cigarette smoke came out to greet Troy. He stood poised at the doorway, just observing everything that he saw through the rectangular shaped entrance. Just in front of the door was the living room. An old mahogany couch was placed in the center and on it two very naked people were knocked out. Bottles of booze and fast food cartons littered the ground and the wallpaper on the walls was hanging off the walls, mold growing around the edges. Gabriella ushered Troy in, almost pulling him in with her hand. She looked at the exposed girl and boy on the couch who were wrapped in each other's arms and then back at Troy apologetically. _

"_Sorry" she said. "That's Angie, she…didn't know you were coming" _

_Troy didn't know what to say. He grasped her hand tightly as she led him through her apartment. He held his breath as they both took slow steps around the living room and through a short hallway. The whole apartment was barely lit; only relying on the few windows that were themselves stained by God knows what to help navigate through. Gabriella stopped at a door and knocked. _

"_Jenna?" she called. _

"_What?" an angry voice from inside answered. Gabriella jumped slightly. _

"_Sorry, it's me, Gabi. I, um…" she looked up at Troy quickly. "Remember this morning, I told you I was going to bring a friend over?" Gabriella said. She stared at the crispy brown carpet beneath their feet. _

_Troy noted what she addressed him as. __**Friend**_- _even though by this time, Troy would've thought that they were a lot more. _

_There was a shuffling inside the room. It took long but Jenna made it to the door. _

"_Hey" Gabriella greeted once Jenna's eyes found hers. _

"_Hey" Jenna's eyes flickered from Gabriella to Troy then back to Gabriella. She adjusted her shirt and minis shorts as if she just put them on. _

"_Um, this is Troy" Gabriella introduced. Troy awkwardly squeezed Gabriella's hand at the sound of his name as if it would make either of them feel better. His mouth was still closed shut in fear of letting in poisonous amounts of smoke into his body. He gave Jenna a nod and a small smile. She didn't reply with much-just a nod._

"_You need something?" Jenna demanded from Gabriella. _

"_Oh, no..it's just, um" Gabriella fiddled with her hands and pointed her thumb in the direction of the living room. "Angie..she's kind of…with Max again" Jenna groaned. "Yeah, I know. I think she must have forgot…I did tell her this morning that I was bringing Troy…" By the time she finished, Jenna was already in the living room, kicking the two up. Gabriella walked forward two steps, bringing Troy along with her, and timidly poked her head around to see what went on in the living room. _

"_Wake up!" Jenna called out to her sister. "Gabi's fuck buddy is here"_

"_Uh- he's not my-"Gabriella tried to correct her, embarrassed, but Jenna kept scolding them. _

"_Angie, can't you stop being a fucking slut for two more seconds and just fucking put out in your own room?" Jenna shook them awake. The two woke up startled and scoured the room with their eyes as if trying to remember where they were. Troy looked away from the scene with his ears perked. The more time passed the more he felt like he was going to vomit and add to the pungent smell of the flat._

"_Jen, come on-" Angie croaked, rubbing her eyes. _

"_You, Max!" she shoved at the boy's chest. "I don't want to see your fucking face here again. You can sell your shit to some other place or I'm calling the police" _

"_Jenna!" Angie cried out. _

"_Jesus Christ, Jenna. Could you just quiet the fuck down?" Max grumbled. _

"_IS THIS LOUD ENOUGH FOR YOU JACKASS?" she lunged at Max, thrusting at him with her fists. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" _

_Gabriella swiveled around, panicking. She squeezed Troy's hand again and slipped away from the living room and led Troy to another room farther down the small hallway. Troy followed Gabriella and he knew that she felt the perspiration from his palms. She opened the door of her bedroom with another key and let Troy inside first before she entered her bedroom. Gabriella's roommates' voices became distant now and the calmness of her bedroom soothed Troy a little but he was still frozen to his spot three feet away from Gabriella's door. She held her hands together and watched Troy stood there staring at her torn walls. She exhaled, completely saddened by his reaction. Gabriella reached her arms out and embraced him. _

"_Troy, you promised" she accused slowly. Her voice was depressed and brought Troy back to life. He slithered his hands around her body. _

"_What? I'm not freaking out" he defended. _

"_It sure seems like it" she put her chin on his sternum and looked up at him. Troy gazed down at her and couldn't put everything he was feeling in to proper words. He knew that no matter what he'd say, he couldn't take back what she could see through his eyes._

"_Holy shit, Ella" he swore, giving in. She huffed, amused at Troy's innocence, and a twinkle returning to her eyes. _

"_Makes the worst hangover look like nothing, huh?" she joked. Troy gave out a short laugh and brought his chin over her shoulder again. His eyes grew dim as soon as Gabriella couldn't see them and he thought back to the many mornings when he woke up with a splintering headache after a night of endless carousing. _Nothing. _Troy thought._ Definitely, nothing.

Troy couldn't imagine that there was more. He learned later that day that Jenna and Angie were call girls apart of an escort agency. They were sisters abandoned by their mother like Gabriella was. Gabriella didn't know them through anyone-just found an ad for their extra room on the building's bulletin board.

Over the next few times that Troy visited Gabriella's place, which she kept to a minimum no matter how much Troy said it was okay, the condition at her place was slowly getting worse. Angie began seeing Max very often and hiding it from her sister. Gabriella knew about the relationship and also knew it was none of her business to reveal this to Jenna. She repeatedly told Angie that being involved with a drug dealer is as dangerous as it sounds.

One night just two months ago, when Troy decided to stay at Gabriella's place, things reached a peak. Angie woke up everyone in the apartment with loud shrieks. Troy woke up just after Gabriella did and followed her out of her room towards the noise. He heard Angie screech, "Get them out! They're all over me! Get them out! Get them out!". His mind traced back to his 8th grade health teacher's 'effects of cocaine' lesson. _Formication_ He remembered. _The sensation of small insects crawling underneath or above the skin, all over the body; can be caused by an overdose of amphetamines or methamphetines. _

When Troy caught up with Gabriella in the living room, he found Jenna holding her little sister's screaming and shivering body. They rushed her to the hospital where she passed out. Doctors revived her and along with the miracle, gave Jenna a jaw-dropping bill. Then, to Gabriella's horror, Troy negotiated with the hospital and completely lifted the worry off of Jenna's hands. She and Angie were eternally grateful but with Gabriella, it resulted in their first fight.

"_What the hell did you just do?" she asked him once they were alone again. Troy knew this was coming; she hadn't spoken to him the whole car ride home. _

"_So, what was I supposed to fucking do, El?" _

"_They are strangers, Troy! Fucking strangers! You weren't supposed to do __**anything!"**__she argued. _

"_And just stand there with a wad of cash in my back pocket looking like a fucking douchebag?" Troy hated every centimeter as his body as he yelled at Gabriella. He tamed himself. "Look, I just paid for one emergency, Ella. I didn't guarantee a life-time's worth of support" _

"_You can't say that, Troy! What are you, an innocent child? They will take as much as they want from you! They'll do anything!" _

_Troy stopped. He saw Gabriella's glistening eyes and his breath hitched in his throat. She turned around away from him and crossed her arms in front of her chest, blinking away her tears and sniffing. "What about the next time one of them overdoses? Are you going to pay for it then? What if they get caught for the stash of meth that Max keeps in the apartment? Are you going to get involved then?" she was sobbing now. _

_Troy could feel his heart heave with sympathy as she whimpered. He realized then that she actually felt guilty. She regretted the fact that if it weren't for her, then he wouldn't have had to go through with any of that. She felt it deeply but her pride kept her from admitting it until the day they moved in together. So, Troy proposed an idea. He walked up from behind her and took Gabriella in his arms, pressing her back to his chest and nuzzling the crevice of her neck. _

"_Fine" Troy started. "Let's find somewhere else to live then. Together." Gabriella froze. _

"_What?" she whispered. Troy turned her around manually and brought her back towards her bed. _

"_Ella, you're involved with them as much as I would be" Troy said to her. He sat on her bed and reached for her the back of her knee to bring around his waist. She settled over his lap with her face still distorted with a questioning look. "Gabriella, if I didn't pay, they would come to you for help. When they overdose again, you'll help again. When they're caught, you'll go down with them for living in the same apartment. You can't do that to yourself" he told her. _

_Troy wiped away her tears. "I don't have a choice, Troy. I live here. You don't" she reasoned_

"_You don't need to anymore. I'm here. I'll protect you" Troy promised. Gabriella's expression became more and more stunned as he spoke. _

And, that's what started it all. A week later, Gabriella accepted Troy's offer. Immediately after she gave him the go, Troy approached his parents with the idea. They were enraged. They refused to do anything around the lines of funding his staying with a random girl. So, Troy rebelled, storming out of his parent's house with nothing but the keys to his car. He arrived at a Gabriella's apartment that night with his back-up plan. He brought her to tears after telling her that she was the only thing that mattered in the world and as long as he was with her, he wouldn't mind starting another life. The night ended with them sleeping peacefully by each other's side, knowing that things were about to take a drastic turn. And they did. It is just eight weeks later and everything has changed.

As Troy signed the end of the car check-up form with his signature, he exhaled deeply. Eight weeks ago, he took everything so lightly. That first night that the two spent together in their new apartment, just a mile away from Gabriella's old home, Troy had told Gabriella that she was worth everything. But back then, Troy didn't know how much he had to work for those few hours he could spend with Gabriella. For Thanksgiving weekend, Rick's policy was working Thursday and only having Friday, as well as the weekend off. Troy wanted to spend as much time with Gabriella as he can.

Troy lifted himself off of the chair he was seated in and zipped his navy blue jumpsuit down. He was inside the small locker room of the garage and near his own locker. He stepped out of the uniform and stashed it into the metal cabinet.

"Ready to go?" Chad called out to him. Troy nodded, putting an arm into the sleeve of his jacket.

"Yeah".

Chad and Troy walked out of the garage after signing out and saying goodbye to Rick on their way out. The two lived fairly nearby to each other and could easily walk from one place to another. Troy's apartment building was farther down the road than Chad's.

"See you Monday, Troy" Chad waved, when they arrived at the entrance of his building.

Troy waved and replied with, "Yeah, I'll see you". He stuffed his fists into the pockets of his jacket and saw the white puffs of air coming from his mouth.

Just five minutes later, Troy stepped up the stairs of his own home. He could hear only the drag of his feet on the cold floor and the traffic three stories down on the streets. Finally, Troy reached his apartment door. He brought the metal keys up to the lock and twisted the knob around, freeing the door from its hinge. As soon as the door opened, Troy's heart warmed.

Gabriella lit a fire in the fire place- their only source of heat in the old apartment- and now it was blazing. Troy and Gabriella's home wasn't filled with much. They had to savage for things to furnish their new apartment and even though it did cost almost a month and a half of Gabriella's pay at the bistro, they managed to set their house up to give a very homey feel. All around, candles were lit of different sizes. The fire from the fireplace and the candles flickered off the walls and structures of the room. Pumpkin spice filled his nose as well as an underlying scent of stuffing.

"Hey" Gabriella welcomed him. She grinned as he took in the feel of their home.

"Hi" Troy said to her before she embraced him with an affectionate kiss. "This is…really nice" he commented. Troy thought back to what he expected from tonight earlier that day. He was defied; this was better than the Thanksgivings he had at home. He relished the idea of a whole weekend with Gabriella all to himself.

"How did you do this, Gabriella?"

"I used up my Thanksgiving tips- they come in very high considering we offer last minute catering" she admitted. Troy eyed her, chidingly.

"I thought you said that you didn't go to work today" he wondered out loud.

"I lied" she said, clasping her hands together behind Troy's neck. "I wanted to surprise you". Troy restrained himself from grinning cheek to cheek.

"So, you basically just spent all your Thanksgiving bonus, lied to me about where you were all day to put out enough candles to burn the whole apartment building down?" he mocked.

"But.." Gabriella leaned against him and took his lips in hers, her tongue gently caressing them. "you're forgetting all the hot sex we're going to have on full stomachs and without numb toes"

Troy shivered, a wave of lust rushing through his body. "Ah, I see your point" he kissed Gabriella back and walked forward until they both fell on the couch, the cushion sinking in awkwardly. Gabriella beamed ridiculously as Troy began a teasing line of kisses down her neck and curled her toes over preparing for their much awaited bliss.

Later on that night, after they had basked in each other's nakedness, fed themselves until they were stuffed, they tangled up in each other on the ground, in front of the fire and led a harmless conversation about everything.

"What are you thankful for?" Gabriella asked after a long silence with the smell of sex still lingering in the air.

Troy smiled at her, tucking a hair behind her ear. "I am thankful for.." he let his eyes stray away, considering it for a second more. "The fact that our kids won't be snobs".

Gabriella laughed. She was lying on her stomach, hands one top of the other and there, she rested her chin. Troy lay with his back to the ground, with one leg in between Gabriella's two. He stroked her back with his finger, drawing nothing in particular, just long brushes to express his satisfaction with the night so far.

"You think about that sorta thing?" Gabriella wondered. Troy didn't believe he went too far with the fact.

"All the time"

"How many are we going to have?" she asked, curiously.

"Two, a boy and a girl. If the girl comes first- I'll get to talk to her about sex when she turns 13 and if it's the boy, then you will. We'll send them off to school and then, college- which we _will_ tell them how much we've worked for. And we'll see them get married, see them have kids, see their kids grow old..." his voice faded off as if Troy got lost in Gabriella's expression.

"What about us? Will we be the same? Will we grow any?"

"We'll be together," Troy offered but he knew that wasn't what she was looking for. She wanted to know if they would stay the way they are: stuck in the dead-end of life. Honestly, Troy couldn't answer that. Instead he asked her, "What do you want to do, Ella?"

She looked down at the carpet beneath them. They blew out all of the other candles in the house so now only the fireplace crackled and their shadows danced with it. Gabriella took a long moment to think.

"I've always wanted to be a doctor" she told him for the first time. Troy accepted it with a smile.

"Dr. Montez" he practiced. "I like it"

Gabriella's lips curved happily. She leaned in and kissed him, appreciating his support. "Hopefully, it would be Dr. Bolton" she said against his lips. Troy grinned.

"I like that better".

Their minds loitered over the idea for a while. Troy never thought much about his career. He knew in the back of his mind, he would inherit his father's business, something he never fully supported for himself. Gabriella, however, had to fill in nights of loneliness during her childhood with some kind of dream, a hope.

"So, a doctor. Why's that?" Troy asked further.

She inhaled. "I don't know. I guess I always just wanted to do something that I had no clue about. Something completely different" she never hesitated while saying this. "Something better" Gabriella finished.

Troy listened to her fully and soaked her words up like a sponge. "Why don't you?" he prompted after a moment's pause.

She looked slightly taken by his question. "Because there is no way I can afford college right now…." She told him, an obvious tone in her voice.

Troy deliberated this for a moment. He stared at the ceiling for not more than two minutes with his head cushioned by his hands, before saying to her directly, "I can help".

"Help?"

Gabriella lifted herself up from her own stomach and placed her chin on Troy's firm peck, interested in his offer but only cautiously. She curled her left arm around his body, to the side of his ribs and folded the other on top of his bicep.

"Yeah, I mean, we live together now. I want to help you get what you want. And if we're not going forward, we're going back, right?"

Gabriella couldn't understand what he's saying. "So, you're offering to…?"

Troy removed his hands from beneath his head and placed them on the small of her back, just before the healthy swell of her bum. He adjusted himself to be in a comfortable position in order to further explain his proposition.

"Look, before, you couldn't pay for college because you had to pay for rent, food, transport, etcetera, right?" Gabriella nodded. "Now, I can pay for your essentials while your salary can go towards tuition"

"My salary can't pay all of the tuition, Troy"

"Yeah- but we can open a savings account, gets some financial aid for your tuition, there's always some scholarships available and people always want to invest in getting students educated for a better future" Troy said. Gabriella stared at him skeptically.

"You realize by doing this, you're just tying yourself to me for the rest of your life?" she said.

Troy smiled, knowing he had reeled her in. "I already am" he stated and brought her head down to kiss her tenderly. When he pulled away, Troy knew she was convinced.

"So, what about after that? What's next?" Troy asked. She was still on his chest as they continued speaking about their very near and very far futures.

"After, I've graduated from medical school, you mean?" she asked. "Like –what- eight years of school?".

Troy nodded, still enthusiastic even though the numbers were large and the term _graduation_ seemed very distant.

"Then, we can get married" she suggested.

"Yeah? And then?" Troy said encouragingly.

"We can have the two kids. We can move out of this hell hole" Troy chuckled at this. "We can live somewhere in the suburbs where the schools are nice. We'll have awesome neighbors who will invite us to the big Christmas parties every year. We can have carpool and volunteer at the school's dances"

"Jesus, Gabriella, how do you know so much about the suburbs?" Troy said.

"I've watched my fair share of movies" she claimed with a cute smile lighting up her face.

Troy laughed. He kissed her again, deeply this time and rolled her over until he was carefully on top of her again. A soft sigh came out of her throat making Troy's ears jump slightly. He laced his right hand with her left and kissed it before bringing it up above her head to sustain his body just above hers.

"What are you thankful for, Ella?" he breathed, lovingly.

Gabriella gazed up at him as if enlightened with a new type of energy and said, "You".


	3. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the amazing response to the last chapter everyone! I am so glad you guys like it! Thank you for subscribing, favoriting and reviewing! Hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical or the song 8 Mile by Eminem. **

**Enjoy!**

"_And, I'm gone. I know right where I'm goin'. Sorry mama, I'm grown; I must travel alone. Ain't goin' follow the footsteps, I'm making my own. Only way that I know how to escape from this 8 mile road" _

_~**8 mile**__ by Eminem~ _

**PRESENT **  
>Hot droplets of water sprayed Troy's side endlessly. He felt the coolness of the bathroom immediately be replaced by the mist of the shower. Before him, Gabriella stood like a naked goddess with tears spilling from her eyes. She blinked repeatedly and bit her lip trying with all her might not to let out a sob. Her eyes were blood shot and sad. Her wet hair was flat and blacker than it's ever been, her body soaked and her face was dirtied with tear stains.<br>Troy reached up with his pruned hand and wiped them away and she leaned into his touch, wincing as though she couldn't hold herself steady any longer. As if on cue, she gasped for air and let out a painful wail. Without hesitating, Troy scooped her up in his arms and held her dearly.

"Shhh" he cooed. "I'll never leave you. I'm here, baby"

Gabriella didn't try to bring herself back to a normal state; she just kept weeping and weeping into Troy's chest. Troy let his chin rest on Gabriella's head as he rocked her body in her arms from side to side. And as he stood there and continued to comfort Gabriella, he thought back to how the two ended up in the shower at eleven in the night on a Thursday evening after everything seemed to have been so perfectly well just this afternoon.

* * *

><p><strong>8 HOURS AGO <strong>

Troy's whole body felt like it was running on just adrenalin. His mind was foggy, a knot was formed in his heart and he had to voluntarily make sure he was breathing well. His palms were sweaty and unfortunately laced together with Gabriella's as the two stood close together in the elevator of the Bank of America. He bit his lip, trying to keep from grinning idiotically at the metal walls of the elevator. The lift resounded with a ding and its doors smoothly opened. With his hand still firmly attached to Gabriella's, Troy ushered them out through the incoming crowd. He walked quickly towards the exit, leaving his girlfriend at least four steps behind him.

"We did it! No- you did it!" Troy cheered once they were in the parking lot of the bank. He lifted Gabriella into his arms and twirled her around. She laughed freely looking down at his glowing face. "You're going to college!" he announced.

Gabriella couldn't stop grinning. Her face was flushed with happiness and she didn't care how silly she looked. She thought through everything that happened this whole day to now. Troy brought her breakfast in bed this morning. Around 1 in the afternoon, they traveled by subway to Lower Manhattan, the Bank of America, and there, they waited anxiously for their interview. At 3, they were called in for their interview and now, at four Gabriella was here celebrating her triumph with her boyfriend.

Her eyes were tearing with happiness as Troy gushed about how in eight years from now she would be the greatest doctor in the world. She reached up on her toes and crushed her lips to his, successfully silencing him. Troy wrapped his arms around her midriff and brought her closer.

"Thank you Troy" she said sincerely in between kisses. "For everything". Troy smiled into her pecks.

"I love you" he told her. She opened her eyes and found Troy's eyes gazing into hers passionately. Slowly, she leaned her head in again to take his lips into hers one last time; this time more deeply than ever.

"I love you too" she breathed against his lips once she pulled back. Troy tucked his head onto her shoulder and took in the scent of hair.

"Wanna go home?" Troy asked, taking her hand again as they distanced themselves. Gabriella nodded. Together, they began walking more determined about the life they in front of them than either of them had ever been.

Twenty minutes later, they were seated on a subway on their way home, hand in hand and with Gabriella's head rested on Troy's shoulder. Troy's cheek was pressed against her head as he listened to her speak.

"I never thought this would happen" she expressed. Troy raised his head to look her in the eye. She met his gaze. "Never thought I would go back to school, never had plans for my life" her brown orbs were grateful. "Never thought I would fall in love" she finished.

Troy resisted the urge to kiss her with such intensity at that moment. He let their stare dwell a bit longer. "Let's celebrate tonight" he said finally. Gabriella's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Tonight?"

"Yeah, I think we deserve a night off. I can take you that bar I pass every day when I go to work. We can afford a couple of drinks and a night of dancing"

Gabriella gaped at Troy, not knowing if this was the best idea. She manually had to put her worries aside and then said, "Okay…. let's celebrate" she agreed.

Troy grinned at her thoughtfully and resumed leaning on the back of the seat in the subway. She took to his shoulder again, resting on it with a sigh. Their hands were still held.

After what seemed like a long haul home, Troy and Gabriella made it home by the time the sun set. They walked a familiar path, past Rick's Car Clinic, and Ulysses' Bar that Troy wanted to take to Gabriella and finally up the steps to their apartment.

"High school was fine for me" Gabriella said to Troy as they reached the last step to their floor. "I guess it was the perfect distraction from-"she stopped, her eyes landing straight before them in the direction of their apartment door.

Troy followed her eyes. His heart skipped a beat. A blonde woman was curled up against their door, wrapped up in what seemed to be a jacket that cost a fortune. She stared off as if she was trying to falling asleep in the dreadful chill of the late November night. She looked up and met Troy's eyes.

"Troy!" she yelped in relief. Immediately, she pounced onto her feet and shuffled towards Troy with her arms out. He cringed as she neared him and draped her arms around his neck. He was forced to take in the perfume of her skin. Troy held in a cough.

"Shar?" Troy hand was still held tight around Gabriella who was standing next to him as perplexed as he was. Of course, Gabriella didn't know this woman who just ambushed her boyfriend.

"God, Troy. Where have you been all day? I've been here since like 5!" she complained, still clinging to him. Troy was struggling against her. He looked past her incredibly bright hair to the sky outside. It was already dark.

"I-"he started but decided to discount her inquiry, "Shar, what are you doing here?" he questioned. She pulled back finally letting Troy breath normally. "How did you-"

"Seriously, Troy? We've known each other since we were two and you haven't fully understood that I usually get what I want when I ask for it?"

He silenced.

"Uhm, hi!" Beside him, Gabriella caught Sharpay's attention. "I'm-"

"Ella." The woman called her as only Troy did.

"Gabriella, yeah" she glanced back at Troy again awkwardly.

"Oh, sorry, El. This is Sharpay Evans"

She held out a hand for Gabriella to take and she did lightly.

"I'm really sorry we haven't met before" Sharpay apologized. "But, I'm sure I'm not at full blame. I think Troy here purposely kept you from meeting any of his family because he was worried we would scare you off"

"Family?" Gabriella wondered, looking up at Troy for an answer. He never mentioned Sharpay to be a sister or cousin of some sort.

"She's not family" he corrected.

"Uh, I think our parents being married to each other is family enough, Bolton" her attitude was remarkably out there.

Gabriella's eyes turned back to Troy. He shook his head denying it as if to say that he will explain later. There was a moment of silence between the three.

"Do you want to come inside for something to drink?" Gabriella offered then.

"No-" Troy started.

"Oh, yes please!" Sharpay accepted too quickly. Gabriella could see Troy's eyes panicking as they moved forward towards the door. She keyed the lock and thirty seconds later, it nudged open. The chill of their apartment wasn't any different from the conditions outside. Troy began lighting the fireplace.

"Sorry it's so cold" Gabriella said.

"Already numb anyway" she shrugged off.

"Take a seat" she opened the sofa up to Sharpay, cleaning some of the trash out from it. "Is hot chocolate okay for you?"

"That would be perfect" Sharpay said gleefully as she sat down on the coach and sunk into it. With that, Gabriella turned to the left and into a short hallway across the living room to enter the kitchen. She grabbed a steel pot from the drying rack, filled it with water and turned the knob on the stove for it to heat up. She delicately placed the pot on the section of the stove. Troy and Sharpay started to speak in the living apparently forgetting that Gabriella was within earshot.

"Shar, what are you doing here?" Troy asked her. He was speaking in a hushed voice.

"Why? Are you upset?" Sharpay inquired further, not answering his question.

"I haven't decided yet"

"So, you're keeping the option open?" she was testing Troy's patience and Gabriella could tell. He was shifting around the living room irritably.

"Would you just tell me why you're here?" he raised his voice just a bit.

"Gabriella looks nice" Sharpay said instead. "She must be something"

There was a moment's pause as if what Sharpay brought up caught Troy off guard. "Yeah" he agreed. "She is".

"And this apartment" she couldn't quite figure out what to say, "is…nice" she settled on lamely. Troy didn't say anything to this, knowing that she didn't mean it. He was suddenly glad that Sharpay hadn't seen Gabriella's old apartment.

Back in the kitchen, Gabriella reached for the top shelf to grasp the box of Swiss Hot Chocolate. She considered calling Troy to get but the thought quickly faded. Instead of the box of chocolate powder, a glass casserole dish came toppling down. Gabriella backed away as it fell expecting it to shatter instantly but the bowl spun on the ground loudly until it came to steady stop. Gabriella's heart raced as she stared at the bowl on the ground surprised it didn't break. Either way, the noise was distinct to Troy and Sharpay in the living room. As she bent down to pick it up, Troy appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Ella, are you okay? What happened?" he lowered himself to meet her level but she quickly got up and placed the casserole dish on the kitchen counter next to the stove.

"I- um" she hesitated trying to remember what happened. She turned her body back to Troy shyly. "You never told me that you had a sister" she remarked.

Troy sighed. He leaned against the counter. "She's not my sister"

"But- she said your parents married each other"

He took a deep breath again. This was a long story. "Sharpay's mom and my dad were first married before either of us was born. They got divorced and married again to different people and that's when we came along. Then, when I was still a baby, Sharpay's family moved back to New York and I guess our mothers became best friends, even though my dad was strictly against it"

"But Sharpay said-"

"Sharpay will say anything to get what she wants" Troy was amused at how she tried to make cognizance of Troy's previous life. He walked forward and bundled her up into his arms with their eyes remaining locked.

"Why would she want to lie about being your sister?" Gabriella asked as Troy leaned forward, his eyes still showing how charmed he was with Gabriella at the moment.

"No idea" he replied and seized her lips with his. Gabriella lost her breath in the kiss and Troy stretched it deeper. She could feel her heart thump rapidly.

"You know, I'm still here!" Sharpay called from the living room crushing the moment the two were in. Gabriella looked away, embarrassed while Troy rolled his eyes with a gasp of annoyance.

Troy pecked her once more on the forehead and left the kitchen to join Sharpay again. She was now comfortably seated on the couch, leaning against it with a slouch in her back.

"It's nice of you to forget me" she mocked.

"It's nice of you to barge into my home on probably the only day I can ask to get off of work with no damn reason" he retorted.

"You work?" she seemed surprised. Troy chuckled.

"Yeah" he seated himself on a chair across from her.

"Where?"

"I'm a car mechanic at Rick's Car Clinic"

"What?"

"I'm a car mechanic at Rick's Car Clinic" he repeated, unwilling to be ashamed of what he did for a living no matter how much it seemed lowly to Sharpay. She didn't saying anything else.

A few moments later, Gabriella emerged from the kitchen with two mugs of steaming hot chocolate in her hands. She handed the first to Sharpay and then to her boyfriend. She turned to take a seat on the other side of the sofa but Troy strong hand slithered around her waist and forced her onto his lap.

Troy took a long sip of his drink and let Gabriella get comfortable on him. The chair he was settled on was wide and easily able to fit the two of them. He let her legs lay over his lap as her bum slipped off of him and landed on the leather of the chair beneath them.

Across the way, Sharpay was touched by Troy. She was warmed by everything he was now. He was proud of who was even compared to what he had before or what Sharpay has right now. He held Gabriella like she was his prize for leaving everything, he looked at her like he would run around the world for her, and he talked about her like he was simply and fully in love with her. Sharpay looked up painfully knowing that the news she brought Troy was about to shake the root of their relationship.

"Troy" she called out. He met her eyes. "Your mother is coming"

It took a minute for it to register in Troy. For Gabriella, it barely had to leave Sharpay's mouth. She leaped off of Troy to prepare for his reaction.

"What?" he seethed. He held his grip on the chair's armrest.

Sharpay winced. "I-uh" she muttered.

"Troy, calm down" Gabriella soothed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're scaring her" Troy miraculously did calm down. Tears formed in Sharpay's eyes as she looked at Gabriella gratefully. She took a breath before responding.

"After you left, your parents didn't believe you would be gone too long. They waited for a week before all hell broke loose. Whenever we came over, they were always fighting. Jack kept trying to tell Lucy that you were gone forever and she should forget you. But, she couldn't. He even tried to throw out all your pictures and turn your room into another guest room. At the annual Winter Ball last night, they literally blew up. He didn't want to hear your name once but you were what everyone wanted to talk about. He started yelling ridiculously at Lucy during dinner and she got furious. She left the party and Jack only went to talk to her after every guest left the house. Then-"

Sharpay examined Troy. She had rehearsed this in the two hours she sat by their door waiting for Troy to come home. He seemed to have taken it all in so far. But then Sharpay realized she barely got to the main point yet.

"We could hear them downstairs. Jack threatened to kick her out of the house if she spoke about you one more time. She wanted to show him that you were still out there and still their son. So, she promised to find you and bring you back home. Jack let her go only if she promised that if she didn't bring you back, she would forget you ever existed"

She finished explaining awkwardly. Troy's eyes fell down to his lap but his eyebrows were poised above them in shock. Sharpay swallowed.

"She's gonna have to forget me then" he announced. Sharpay grimaced sorrowfully and glanced at Gabriella who had tears streaming down her face. She quickly wiped them away.

"Troy" Gabriella bent down on her knees and brought his chin up. "Don't say that, babe. You can't just talk about your mother like that. She cares for you"

The anger that spun in Troy quickly vanished as soon as Gabriella's voice talked to him. "I'm not going back"

Gabriella bit her lip. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.

Troy looked back up at Sharpay. "When is she coming?" he asked.

"I..don't know. Maybe later tonight?"

Troy gazed off again. "I think…you should leave so she won't see you here" he warned.

Gabriella caught Sharpay's eyes now and she silently apologized for Troy's behavior. Sharpay inhaled slowly and stood up. Gabriella followed her out the door of their apartment. Once the door was closed behind them, she began to speak.

"Thank you" she said. Sharpay smiled through her sad eyes and reached up to take Gabriella's hands in hers.

"No" she refused. "Thank you. I've never seen Troy like this".

"Is that a good thing?" she doubted.

"Yes. He loves you a lot, Gabriella. That's good for him" she smiled lightly again, reassuring Gabriella. Sharpay moved forward to embrace Gabriella and she took the hug willingly.

When Sharpay pulled away she added, "I really wanted you to like me".

Gabriella's eyes showed her confusion.

"And I thought that if I was a part of Troy's family- you'd like me more" she said humiliated.

Gabriella's face broke out in a grin. "You seem to be like Troy's family, though" she pointed out. "And, I think I should be the one worried about you liking me"

Sharpay smiled. "Don't worry. You'll have to do that with far more important people than me".

Gabriella knew that she was talking about Troy's mother. Anxiety immediately struck her heart. "Yeah, I guess so"

"Good luck" she wished.

"I'll see you soon" Gabriella said as Sharpay began descending the steps of their apartment building.

Inside, Troy took Sharpay's spot on the couch. He lay down and covered his eyes with his arm. He couldn't hear what his girlfriend and Sharpay were talking about outside but he figured that should be the last of his worries. His mother was coming. The front door creaked open. Gabriella bent down to the couch and smoothed his hair.

Troy uncovered his eyes and found Gabriella's eyes. "We were supposed to celebrate tonight" he said. Gabriella smiled forgivingly.

"I know". She lifted herself up and Troy did the same as she came down to sit on the couch. Once she was comfortable, Troy laid his head down in her lap and Gabriella held him lovingly.

For an hour, Troy and Gabriella rested comfortably on their couch saying nothing. They didn't know how to prepare for what seemed like a hurricane that was about to sweep through their home. Troy gazed up at Gabriella from her lap as she stared down at him tenderly. Neither of them wanted to move as if stuck with a huge amount of nervousness running through their system.

Exactly an hour and fifteen minutes later, a knock resounded at the door and both of them instantly glimpsed at the door before back into each other's eyes fearfully. Troy was the one to get the door while Gabriella rushed into the bathroom to fix her hair.

The door opened and a rush of cold air filled the room. Standing in front of Troy was his mother in all her glory. He couldn't believe she decided to show up looking more like someone from My Fair Lady. She wore white gloves with a black umbrella poised up in her hands. Her hair was in a bun and tucked into a large feathery hat and earrings were pearl. A fur coat was wrapped around her shoulders and her dress was white.

"Mom" he recognized.

"Troy, sweetheart!" she yelped. "Aren't you going to let me in?"

For a long moment Troy considered shutting the door on her. She was being completely ridiculous. This wasn't his mother. This was the Queen of England. Reluctantly, he opened the door the wider and stepped aside to let her in.

"Honestly, the rain has been pouring non-stop for three hours now" she remarked as she walked inside. She lowered her umbrella, took off her hat and began to peel off her gloves from her hands.

"Mom, what the hell are you doing?" he asked tired of her act already. She looked at surprised.

"I seriously thought you would be gladder to see me" she said.

"You thought wrong"

"I'm sorry for that" she apologized sarcastically. He took her coat and laid it on the coach. As soon as she got rid of her coat, Lucille scanned around energetically. "Well, this is homey" she complimented. Gabriella appeared from the bathroom, tucking a hair behind her ear anxiously.

"Ma, this is Gabriella" Troy introduced. Lucille paid no attention to the woman Troy was pointing to. Troy swallowed; his heart was burning. Once Gabriella reached him, he connected their hands. Lucille did notice this. "Mom, this is Ella" he repeated.

Lucille looked up to her face expressionlessly. Gabriella smiled quickly.

"Hi" she put a hand out but Lucille never took it.

Gabriella looked back up at Troy frantically and he met her eyes for a second before he turned back to his mother impatiently. "Seriously, Mom, could you cut this shit out?"

"I don't see the shit to cut out. I clearly only came here to see my son, honey" she re-used his phrasing exactly. "Apparently, Sharpay didn't convey that correctly"

"You knew?" Troy asked.

"Of course! I sent her here!" she declared.

Troy took a deep breath and stood in front of Gabriella protectively, his hand still fastened to hers.

"I'm not going back, Ma" he told her. At this Lucille raised her stare threateningly, lifting her body up.

"You will" she directed straight in the eye. She moved beyond Troy and looked at Gabriella. "And, you will let him".

Gabriella whimpered softly. Troy let out a sharp exhale at the noise. "Don't you dare talk to her like that" he cautioned.

"Am I so wrong to want my son back?" Lucille pleaded to Gabriella, ignoring Troy's words. She obviously wasn't only here to see Troy anymore. "Can't a mother want the best for her son?"

"Mom!" Troy yelled as Lucille advanced towards his girlfriend. Gabriella opened her mouth and another whimper came out.

"I never-" she struggled to use words against Lucille.

"You never what? Never wanted Troy to do this?" she asked. "Then, shouldn't it be easier to just let him go? Let him leave, Gabriella. Uncast your spell, you witch"

Troy clenched his fists, enraged. He stepped in between Lucille and Gabriella with the rage in his eyes. "Leave, ma" he said. Lucille's scrutiny lightened.

"Troy Bolton, I raised you to be a strong successful man not-"

"Get out of our home"

Lucille huffed, biting down on her teeth and gritting her jaw. She turned swiftly, picked up her things from the coach and left their flat leaving only the quiet behind. Behind him, Gabriella sniffles broke the silence.

* * *

><p><strong>PRESENT <strong>

Troy wrapped a beige towel around Gabriella's body to shield her from the cold of their bedroom. He walked her to their closet and picked out one of his old shirt to slip over shoulders. The towel fell to the ground. He helped her step into a pair of sweats and then led her to their bed. Her sobs faded out just ten minutes ago and now only her desperate hiccups remained. Troy's heart pained.

They lay together on the bed with Gabriella's wet hair under Troy's chin and his hand stroking her back comfortingly.

"Gabriella, listen to me" he told her. He brought her chin up so their eyes could meet. "I love you" he said. She nodded knowingly and sadly. "I'm never going to leave you" he promised "We're going to make it". Gabriella nodded again and buried her face into Troy's chest as more tears escaped from her eyes.

Troy pulled her closer and let her fragrance fill up him soothingly. The two slept that night with probably the only thing that would help them live day by day from now on: hope.


	4. Chapter 3

**Enjoy! **

"'_Cause they'll be no sunlight, if I lose you baby. There'll be no clear skies, if I lose you baby. Just like the clouds my eyes will do the same. If you walk away, everyday it will rain. Rain, rain, rain" _

_**It Will Rain**__ by Bruno Mars_

_Gabriella keyed the stiff, moldy door of her apartment. It is nearly midnight on a night in late December and she could see the white fog from her mouth as she sighed, her eyes becoming heavy at the thought of her bed and Troy waiting for her. The door opened finally and inside, Troy hadn't turned on the fire yet so she was greeted by a room as sickeningly cold as the outside. Once the door was closed behind her, Gabriella beat the thick carpet beneath her feet so all the muddy snow would shake off. She threw her school bag onto the sofa and it in sunk into it tragically. Slowly, she peeled off the layers off her coats and sweaters. With a yawn, she Gabriella dug into her hair with her hands and massaged her scalp as she tiredly made her way towards the bathroom. Her head felt full. Winter quarter started two weeks ago and today she spent the entire day after her biology and organic chemistry classes in the Elmira College library. _

_After washing her face with hot water and changing into her nightie, she walked towards her bedroom, a smile playing at her lips with the thought of climbing in Troy's arms for the night. The door creaked open as she pushed on it gently. She scanned the room for her boyfriend's eyes looking up at her cheerfully. But, she didn't find them. _

_As Gabriella took in the scene of her bedroom, her stomach dropped and heart shrivelled in a matter of moments. The sheets were already full with two bodies. Troy lay on his side, his bronze torso peeking out from the thick blankets. His chest heaved as he took in calm inhales and then fell slowly with an exhale. His arm was wrapped lazily around bare woman with a caramel tone to her skin. Her long, black hair was swept on her back near the shoulder that Troy's nose hid beside. Gabriella's eyes stung with tears and her eyebrows furrowed in utter pain._

_"Troy?" she whimpered. He shivered awake and looked up at Gabriella with squinted eyes. _

_"Ella" he croaked groggily. "Hey, baby". He grinned at her happily and stretched out his arms, calling out for her embrace. The ache in Gabriella's heart turned to confusion. He acted as if the other woman beside wasn't even there. _

_"Troy" she said again, this time demanding an explanation desperately._

_"Babe, what's wrong?" he asked. Now, a flare of anger rippled through her. "Ella, come on. Wake up!" He said. A moment of complete bewilderment passed her. _

Gabriella's eyes fluttered awake. The first thing she met were two eyes as blue as the ocean glowing down at her. She sighed in relief.

"Good morning, baby" Troy greeted her. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips. The two were wrapped up in three layers of blankets to shield their naked bodies from the cold.

"Time to get ready" Troy told her. "First day of school". He grinned down at Gabriella playfully and she refused to mirror it. She frowned instead and turned over, deeper into the warmth of their bed.

"I don't want to go" she groaned into her pillow. Troy was lifted onto one elbow. He leaned against her back circling an arm around her.

"Really, you don't want to go?" he asked. Troy openly kissed the back of her neck.

"Mmmm-mm" she shook her head too.

"Are you sure?"

"100% sure" she confirmed.

"That's too bad" he grazed his mouth until he found the crevice of her neck. He kissed it and let his tongue lash out, making Gabriella tickled. She giggled. "I really thought some healthy morning sex would be a nice ''good luck' present".

Troy resisted touching her more. Slowly, he gazed down at her as she rotated again towards him.

"That is too bad" she said, her eyes twinkling up at him. Troy shifted his body and gently placed his body above hers, his smile never leaving his face.

"Maybe you could give it to me anyway?" she offered. Troy shook his head and caught her lips deeply. Sparks flew and Gabriella became more convinced by the millisecond. Troy pulled back at his own time when Gabriella's lungs were far past completely breathless. He left a daze in Gabriella's mind reminding her of the warmth inside her.

"Sorry, Montez" He rolled over of her teasingly. Gabriella pouted, her lower lip puffing just a bit. She followed his rolling action and lightly lay on top of him. Troy stroked her spine, sending tingles up to her brain. They gazed at each other for a while, momentarily forgetting the erotic feelings and seeing the reality of today.

It was the beginning of a life they were going to live and both couldn't quite grasp the feeling. Perhaps, the dreamy effect of the last few months made them numb to feeling nervous or any excitedness at all. Gabriella, only on rare occasion, would open up to Troy and let him see what really is going on inside her head. This morning was one of those times. He could see that she felt the entire weight of their world on her shoulders and hoped desperately that she would be able to make it through. Every worry that went past her head rippled into his. Gabriella thought of the holidays that were coming up soon. Just two weeks from now, there would be a two week break from school and she would get to spend the holidays with her boyfriend as their first Christmas together. Although it was just 14 days from now, it seemed like 14 years of exile.

Troy mirrored her fears. His days would be the longest ever if he only could see Gabriella at night. He didn't know how he would make it but Troy blindly fixed his courage to an undefeatable level, believing only that it would make Gabriella happy. And her bliss was his.

In the back of Gabriella's mind, hidden from his knowledge, the dream tugged at her. She remembered the rush of panic coursing through her when she entered her bedroom to find Troy sleeping with another woman in her dream, but she also recollected the long black hair and the olive skin of the lady that Troy held so lovingly. And, she realized: the woman was Gabriella herself. Somehow, this epiphany sparked even more fear in Gabriella than the dream's initial interpretation.

Unwilling to seek deeper into her thoughts, Gabriella found herself back in Troy's. He continued stroking her back and soothing her. She responded to his caress with a long kiss which effectively brought the two of them to reality again.

Once she pulled back, Troy held her hair away from her eyes. "so, you'll go then?" he asked.

Gabriella just smiled and kissed Troy soundly, recalling the sensations from five minutes ago.

Two hours later, Gabriella found herself kissing her boyfriend goodbye for her first day of class.

"I got you something" Troy told her excitedly.

"Wasn't this morning enough?" she replied, looking up at chidingly.

Troy chuckled. "I'm sure it was" he said, pulling out a small rectangular package from the back pocket of his jeans.

"But, I think you'll like this" he presented the blue package, his grin never leaving his face. A sudden rush of anxiety went through him. Troy never gave anyone a gift before, no one he actually thought about or cared this much about the person. His parents had never emphasized receiving gifts from him so he never put much effort into it. He walked into the thrift store the morning after his mother gallantly entered his apartment in search for something that might make Gabriella feel better. He went through the whole store: pillow cases that said something like 'I love you' or something silly like, "One day we'll tell our kids that we did it on this pillow", and box after box of jewellery pearls and diamonds, and tiny trinkets to put in your bathroom. Towards the end of search, Troy couldn't decide between the heartfelt pillowcase or flat bear that says 'remember me when you're gone today' for the bathroom mirror. That's when this blue box caught his eye.

Gabriella opened the box carefully after she delicately peeled the tape off of it. She looked up at Troy curiously, a grateful smile on her lips, as she lifted the box open.

"Oh, Troy" she said, her eyes glistening.

She pulled out a pen from the box. It was a beautiful maroon colour with white jewels encrusted on the cap. At the very tip was an engraved sketch on a swan.

"God, how much did this cost? You shouldn't have-"

He silenced her with his lips. "I love you" he whispered.

"I love you too" she replied honestly and let her head nuzzle into his chest. They both sighed simultaneously.

"A lot is gonna change after today, huh?" Troy said, burrowing his head the crook of her shoulder.

Gabriella agreed sadly with an exhale, "Yeah".

They stayed like that for a good ten minutes, just embracing lightly. Both of them knew how things were going to play out for some time now. Neither wanted to admit that they won't be seeing as much of each other now. And most of all, they didn't want to think that it was going to be this way for at least the next four years. It seemed completely distant. Too much for either of them to grasp. But as of now, it was the way things are and the way things were going to be.

Troy couldn't hold himself together as he made his way back to Rick's Car Clinic after they gave each other their last kiss before Gabriella had to head to class. He knew that in just a few hours, he'll be seeing her again. But, the fact that Troy won't be her only commitment anymore was harder to face. Yes, she had work before but she can leave work at the restaurant and come home to Troy but college; that was going to follow her everywhere. She would be studying all the time, stressed out of her mind perhaps and what Troy feared the most was her meeting new people.

It seemed silly to Troy but in the back of his mind was the inkling that Gabriella never had a full on confrontation with any world but hers. When she met Troy, she was a virgin to anything beyond her routine life. Now, she was going to go beyond that schedule and find new people. Her opinions were about to change and Troy couldn't help but think that she might as well find someone better than him.

It was highly possible and Troy scolded himself for wondering about it. He never gave Gabriella any credit. That was she has seen far more bad things than any good person like her should. The drug abuse, the disease, the struggle and the scandals that littered the grounds of where she was brought up. Surely, Gabriella would be taking their status seriously. She mustn't think that their relationship is bound to end like the rest of them she witnessed.

Troy thought about how Gabriella talked about their future that Thanksgiving night. How they would end up surviving their current predicament and move on. When she talked about it that night, it seemed so possible and so close. But now, in reality, the eight years in front of them were exactly that: eight long years where Gabriella went to school trying to make herself a doctor and Troy supported her through it all. Troy couldn't help but feel like that nasty feeling that something was missing. Something that he forgot about that would shred the dreams of their future into tiny, tiny pieces.

* * *

><p>He lived with this fear for the next three weeks. Gabriella's first two weeks of the winter quarter went by surprisingly smoothly. Of course, in Troy's point of view, that was because he made the worst of them in the first place, but Gabriella didn't have a clue what went on in his head every time she left the front door to college. In those three weeks, just like they had predicted, they barely saw each other. Gabriella gradually became enveloped in her studies and it was physically impossible for Troy to pry her out of it. He chided himself, yet again, for being so selfish and told himself to have patience. Then, her winter break began a week before Christmas and Troy was relieved that they would finally get to spend time together. However, with the guilt that Troy was taking much of their financial burden, in the first week of Gabriella's break she began working double the time in her restaurant so that Troy could afford to take some time off with his job.<p>

It was a nice gesture really, but it broke Troy's heart to think that they were missing the only chance to be together until next summer. He filled the empty spots in his schedule with random things. Things that he didn't have time to do since he got together with Gabriella like shooting hoops in the ring that was bolted to the back of their apartment building or playing basketball in general. Troy invited Chad to play with him and found they actually work really well together. They played for hours on end, going into late into the night when it became even more blisteringly cold than it was in the morning. Then, Gabriella came home and even thought Troy itched to stop playing, Chad insisted they finish their game. Taylor would come around from her building two blocks away with their son and the two girls would entertain themselves with the four year old's endless jabber. It won't be until late in the night when the streets were only filled with sounds of the occasional car passing by that the four would return to their respective home. Gabriella, exhausted from her long day at work, would fall asleep before Troy could ask her how her day was and once again Troy was starved of the human closeness that he wanted.

By the time Friday came around, Troy accepted that he should just enjoy the time he was given with Gabriella instead of desperately searching for something he wasn't going to get. Now, as he jogged the streets of his neighbourhood, exploring it for the first time, he craved only his iPod. He wanted something that would distract him from the constant chain of the thoughts that repeated in his head. He spent the whole day working at the garage and finished all the cars that were backed up on his list. With nothing to do in the evening now, he set out on a long jog, another thing that he never found time to do after he met Gabriella. It was refreshing, of course, but Troy was 100 percent sure he was lost because of the time he spent concentrated on the thoughts before paying any attention to where he was going. Troy wanted his iPod that was probably given to one of his cousins now that he left his house officially. He remembered the playlist he created just after he met Gabriella with every song that reminded him of her. But, that wasn't the playlist he desired at the moment. He wanted the one that if he plugged into his over the ear V-Moda headphones, it would be impossible to remember that Gabriella was far away from him. He wanted the bass to ripple through his body and the lyrics and the beat would go by so fast that it would take all of him just to wrap around the greatness of the song.

He should've known that his iPod and headphones would be the first thing about his previous life that he missed. He spent more time on them than he did anything else.

Troy slowed his pace and looked around. In the distance, he spotted Chad's building and suddenly he registered the way back home. He was perpendicular to the route that Troy and Chad took on their way home every night. He knew although it was dark now, there was no chance Troy would run into his friend right now because how much Chad was backed up on his cars at work. Troy began to walk, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt. He just then realized how much his feet were sore. He wondered how long he had been out for. Maybe Gabriella would be home by the time he made it there.

As he neared the entrance of Chad's building, a familiar dark skinned lady exited it with a short boy sleeping in her arms. She recognized him.

"Hey Troy! I didn't think I would be seeing you coming this way anytime" she said. Troy knew that Taylor was aware of where he went every day.

"Yeah, I just went for a run, thought I was lost until I found your building" he replied. She gave him a smile and a short nod.

"That's good, wouldn't want a lost rich boy" she joked.

Troy chuckled, knowing not to take this personally. Chad and Taylor shared a liking to constantly point out that Troy was a baby to their district. He couldn't deny it because it wasn't at all far from the truth. Gabriella was just being nice to not bring it up.

He remembered what he was thinking earlier, "Do you have the time on you by chance?"

Taylor nodded and took out her battered phone from her purse. "It is…5:46" she said. Troy frowned. There was no chance Gabriella would be home now. He looked up at the sky and cursed the tricky black sky.

"I know, can't believe it right? Taylor agreed with his frustration. "Chad's not going to be home either"

There was a moment of silence between them. Troy was just about bid her goodbye before Taylor spoke up.

"Do you want to come grocery shopping with me?" she asked. "I was going to go with Chad but he called up saying he won't be home until later. I can't just leave Jaden asleep but the fridge is nearly empty. It would be great if you could come along and help me".

Troy bit his lip and looked away for a second, wondering what Gabriella would think of him going shopping with his best friend's wife. What would Chad think?

"Yeah, sure" he said. He didn't feel like being a lone at home right now, anyway.

"Thanks, Troy. I really appreciate it" said Taylor as Troy took little Jaden in his arms and began strolling alongside her in the direction he just came.

A few turns and a straight five minute walk later, Troy and Taylor entered the small grocery store that both were familiar with. He just followed Taylor everywhere, giving her small bits of advice on which vegetables she should choose or what kind of cheese to buy and carried Jaden in his arms.. Troy didn't feel like he was much of help but without him, Taylor wouldn't be able to do any of shopping.

"This" Troy said, pointing to the okra instead of the eggplant. He never had a taste for eggplant.

Taylor smiled. "You're just like Chad" she told him.

"How's that?"

"You picked the one that I don't like" she answered. Troy furrowed his eyebrows, confused a little.

"Why did you ask me, then?"

"Chad always wants to be asked" said Taylor grinning, "Otherwise, he feels like he's just following me around with the baby in his hands"

Troy stifled a laugh, knowing he shouldn't stir the boy fast asleep on his shoulder. That was exactly what he was thinking.

"I figured you'd be the same way after you said pepper jack instead of cheddar"

"Oh" Troy said. He continued giving her his opinion and she continued putting the exact opposite in her cart. They shared a few laughs and Troy found himself genuinely having a good time. He was surprised; never knew that Taylor could be this much fun and why he didn't think of spending time with her more this past week.

By the time they made their way back, Jaden had returned to his mother's arms in the middle of his slumber and Troy carried all of the plastic grocery bags. They were in the middle of an alleyway, on a shortcut back to Taylor's home.

"I went to NYU for my first year and took all these social studies classes. Psychology, history, sociology- I loved it" he told her when she asked if he went to college before.

"Why did you quit?" she said. Troy hesitated before answering this question.

"I, uh, came here, I guess" he answered. Both Chad and Taylor knew very little of how he came here. He never took the time to explain the whole story. Taylor caught his eye with a understanding expression. Her warm brown ones reminded him so much of Gabriella that suddenly, his heart caved weakly. The amount he missed seeing her washed him over mercilessly. Troy looked forward now more eager than ever to return home to his girlfriend's arms. But, as if life heard his plea and was determined not to give him the satisfaction he was stopped in his casual strut. Taylor gasped. Both of them were face to face with the snout of a gun.

"Your money!" the carrier of the weapon demanded. He was shorter than Troy but just about the same height as Taylor. He pressed the gun to Jaden's back. Immediately, Taylor whimpered fearfully. "NOW!" he bellowed. The man's crazy eyes, through the shade of his tethered cap and facial hair stared straight at Troy while he stood frozen, gaping back at him horrified.

"Please" Taylor begged. "Not my son, please". The sound of her desperate voice made Troy flash back into what was in front of him right now.

"Just hand over your wallet and make this easy" the man said. He was convincing enough and gave Taylor and Troy the time to find their money. Troy suddenly realized that he never thought to bring money with him when he left for his jog. His stomach dropped. He gawked at the gun that was threatening the life of his best friend's son. Would this stranger dare pull the trigger? He bit his lip. Taylor's wallet was already in her grasp and the mugger was concentrated on it keenly Troy's eyes shifted from the wallet to the criminal in front of him. There was no way this man would be courageous enough to mean what he was threatening his life for.

Before Troy could remind himself that the mugger obviously knew how to use fear against people he stepped forward.

"What are you doing?" the man said shakily. The gun's aim moved to him at once. "I will shoot! I will! I'll shoot the boy too!" His arm moved from Troy to Jaden twice. " You wouldn't want to do that! Not to your son!"

"No please! Just take this!" Taylor waved the money in front of his face. Troy lunged forward. As soon as his fist met the man's face, the gun shot bellowed. Taylor screamed. Jaden woke startled and matched his mother's cry.

The man Troy just punched staggered backward and his eyes widened. "Fuck!" he swore. He turned and ran out of sight.

Troy faced Taylor now, a grimace on his face. Instantaneously, he regretted what just happened. He knew he would never be able to be forgiven for costing Jaden is life. Taylor's face was stained with tears and her mouth was covered by her hand. Jaden matched her wild expression but he showed no signs of injury whatsoever. Confused, Troy looked back at Taylor and found her staring at his chest. He looked down and immediately, his heart thudded frantically. His shirt was soaking in a reeking rubicund liquid. An unsteady hand came up to feel his drenched torso. The moment he touched his side, the pain shocked him. Troy collapsed.

The next few events happened too agonizingly slow for Troy to stay conscious through them all. As he writhed in pain on the icy concrete, Taylor sobbed their location to the 911 telephone operator. When she hung up the phone, he kneeled before him and held his hand with Jaden next to her, clutching his mother with fear.

"Stay with me, Troy! You're going to be okay!" Her face was blurry because his brain was probably too concentrated on the bullet that had ruptured through the thick protection of his to figure out what he was seeing at the moment. It hurt to breathe so he took short quick breaths that left him thirstier for oxygen than before. Taylor took his sticky hand in hers and winced at the sight of his wound. She was stunned.

"Oh god! Oh my god!" she gasped. Her reaction made him think of Gabriella and how if she were here she would have done anything to stop the bleeding. _Dr Bolton _he remembered and suddenly the pain engulfed him.

The next thing he knew, he was on a wailing ambulance that was rushing through the streets through the city streets. Taylor was beside him, telling the story to the paramedics. Her voice was still fear stricken. Troy tried to soothe himself from the reverberating sting that came from his side. _Everything's alright_ ,he thought. _They are going to take you to the hospital and you will live. You will get through this. _Troy's heart jumped at the thought. _Hospital! _ He recalled.

"Tay!" called Troy.

"Bill, looks like he's conscious now" said the paramedic who was at Troy's left.

Taylor looked back at him. "Troy! You're back! Oh god! Please, don't go again!" she cried.

"No, Tay. I can't..I can't do this. Get me off! I can't..pay for this! N-no insurance!" he was panting as he struggled to manage the few words out of his mouth.

"What? Troy, you..you'll die if they don't take you to the hospital"

"NO!" Troy winced. "Look, my girlfriend, she's wa..wants to be a doctor. We're trying to pay for school!" he caught the paramedic's arm.

"Sir, this is your life at stake"

"Fuck my life!" Troy roared. "My girlfriend…it's her..her dream! I can't afford this! Please!" Troy tried to lift his body out of the bed but the moment he tried to get up, a surge of pain swept through him. He yelled and grit his teeth relentlessly. He tried again with twice the power and the pain came back double the strength. It threatened to knock him out but he held on desperately.

"Sir, please calm down! If you move, the bullet will move!" He had caught the other two paramedic's attention now and they were strapping him to the bed before he could swing his legs over the side of it. Troy caught Taylor's terrified face.

"Please, Taylor! I can't do this to her!" he howled. Taylor shook her head at him sadly and lifted Jaden up into her arms.

The doors to the back of ambulance opened. The paramedics began to lift him down.

"I don't fucking want this! Let me go!" Troy yelled but everyone ignored him.

They began to rush him into the hospital and towards a room with a 'Trauma' sign above it. Troy's face was hot as they entered the room. He rubbed his teeth together to stop him from shrieking in anguish. He was either about to die or steal the only possibility for Gabriella to be a doctor. The nurses began dabbing his face from the sweat that was rolling down it before. It was cool and put off the edge of fire of agony he was in. At this point, Troy welcomed death. He didn't know if he could live with the fact that it was his fault Gabriella never made it.

"Mr. Bolton? Dr. Olsen is about to get you into surgery. I know you've never been here before, is there someone we can call to inform?"

Troy opened his mouth cautiously and told her the name of the person he wanted to see the most, "Sharpay. Sharpay Evans"


	5. Chapter 4

**I think the thing about this story is that Troy and Gabriella are already together, which makes it a bit more journey-like rather than a story. Because this is the rest of their life. What I'm trying to say is, I can see where some people may think that this story basically has no plot. As of now, at least. It's just following Troy and Gabriella through their hard-knock life. I hope you guys understand that. Thank you for you wonderful response!  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical or Man Down by Rihanna**

**Thanks again! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>"What turned out as a simple altercation, turned into a sticky situation. Me just thinking of the time I'm facing makes me wanna cry. 'Cause I didn't mean to hurt him. Could've been somebody son. And I just took his heart when I pulled out that gun"<em>

_**Man Down **__by Rihanna_

_Jane's Bistro_

A soft jazz tune hummed throughout the bistro. Tonight has a full Friday evening rush so Gabriella was on her feet and balancing plates of food on her arms. It was 7:00 pm and she had three more hours until her shift was over and she could go back home to. As she sorted the plates into the giant dishwasher, Gabriella smiled to herself thinking that Troy was at home waiting for her about now. He might be reading a book in front of the fire with those perfectly sighted blue eyes of his and dreaming about Gabriella like she was him. It made her heart race, still after seven months of them being together, to think that someone was thinking about her in that way.

She knew that he had been waiting out on her. Every night he treats her like a queen when she arrives in the apartment. He'll make her dinner, massage her feet and that were sore from walking around the Elmira campus all day and he would put her to bed. Troy would kiss her divinely then and before Gabriella could respond, before she could even open her eyes and tell him that she loved him, she would be fast asleep. In the morning, Troy would be ready with coffee for her and she was off to college again feeling as guilty as ever.

Now, with Christmas nearing in just three days, Gabriella wanted to gain the employee of the month bonus, plus the Christmas bonus so that she can get Troy something extra special. That was why she was working extremely hard the past week. He's been telling her every day that he loved her and even though she replies as truthfully as ever, Gabriella couldn't help but feel it wasn't nearly enough. Even when Troy said it was selfishly for himself, the reason why he moved to Harlem from the other side of Manhattan, she couldn't just forget that this wasn't where he was born and there was absolutely no denying that that wasn't just an easy change Troy would adjust to over time. It would be months, perhaps years, for him to get used to this.

Gabriella remembered his previous home when Troy took her there a week after they started seeing each other. This was before Gabriella showed him her terrifying apartment when the two would meet up at the bistro often more than any place else. It didn't take long for Gabriella to realize that Troy was actually rich even though he never flaunted himself about it. She knew he was definitely wealthier than her state but when he took her to his home, she was blown away. The velvet drapes, the large ceilings, the classic chandelier in the entrance hall was all there. _Not just in the movies_ Gabriella remembered thinking. Troy took her on a tour and she enjoyed admiring every single detail of his house. She remembered the feeling of laying on his bed, those smooth white cotton sheets and the type of mattress that you'd just sink into instead of laying awkwardly on top. She couldn't get off of it. In fact, both of them didn't get off of it until they finally got hungry later on that night.

And seeing Troy there was like seeing a king in his castle. To Gabriella, he at least looked like he could be a lavish king during the Renaissance. His golden, perfectly carved body was radiant and matched with the rest of his house. But now, it simply seemed out of place. Gabriella, even if she tried with all her might, couldn't get rid of the guilt that she tore the king away from his palace.

Gabriella remembered telling him this, the whole story of how she observed him in his 'element' at his house, and him just saying back, _"No king is completely full without his queen". _Sparks went through her heart every time she remembered him breathing against her neck and whispering this sweetly.

Now, Gabriella sat for a second and closed her eye, allowing the same sensations to engulf her. Tonight, she would give him what he wanted. Whatever he wanted.

"Gabriella?" she opened her eyes. The haze behind her eyes led to her to believe that she had not just closed her eyes for a second but drifted off into a slumber. She looked up. It was Jane, the owner of restaurant. "Tired?" her soft features looked down at her sympathetically. "Why don't you take the rest of the night off, hon? I'll manage the rest"

"No, it's okay. I'll finish up here until closing, Jane" Gabriella shot up from her chair.

"Gabi" said Jane strictly. For a moment, Gabriella thought that Jane would actually yet at her. But then at once, the kind expression returned to her face "Don't worry, you're getting employee of the month".

It took a moment for the award to slip past the sleepiness in her brain and register. "Really?" gasped Gabriella brightly.

"You've earned it!" said Jane. "And, I'm so proud of you for starting school again. You're so brave, Gabriella. I'm really honored to be your boss"

Gabriella blushed. "I couldn't have done it without Troy, though" she said softly. Jane knew about the two lovebirds because it was in her restaurant itself that they had met. Jane deeply loved seeing the two hit it off. She was their biggest fan.

"I know" agreed Jane. "Now, go give him the night of sex that he deserves" Jane laughed at herself while Gabriella went turned a dark shade of pink. She stalked off hurriedly, unwilling to show Jane her embarrassed face, through the kitchen doors and to the back of the large, brightly lit room. There, she carefully slipped off the pen that Troy gave her from the pocket of her apron and placed it in her bag. She hung the apron in the metal cabinet and took her bag out of it. . She slowed pulled on layers of clothes until she was snug under her two sweaters and a jacket.

Two minutes later, she was outside and heading in the direction toward her home. It was dark outside and felt around 30 degrees or less but thoughts of Troy and the night they would spend together made Gabriella warm inside.

About halfway home, Gabriella stopped at a window. It was a display of an Apple Inc. store. Inside, the yellow lights lit up the display and fake snowflakes and red and green ornaments littered it too. On a small stand, an iPod Touch was placed with a sign over it saying, "Get them what they really want". Next to it was another sign that said _$165, for the holidays. _Gabriella licked her lips. This was absolutely something that Troy wanted. With her employee of the month bonus, perhaps she could get it for him and have some money left over to treat him to a wonderful feast on Christmas day. Looking inside passed the giant picture of the iPod touch, she silently wished that tomorrow they'll have stock available for her to buy one. With her hopes high and a confidence running through her blood, Gabriella began walking again.

"Gabi, hey" she heard from a voice just in front of her. Gabriella looked up suddenly and a man with wild hair was staring at her.

"Oh, hi Chad! I didn't know you walk this way" she greeted cheerfully. His sad eyes took her back.

"I don't-" he hesitated for long enough so Gabriella could tell.

"Chad?" said Gabriella. "What's wrong?" He exhaled deeply as if fastening the strength to say something harsh to her.

"Gabriella, it's Troy. He got shot"

* * *

><p><em>Thirty Minutes Earlier<br>The Hospital _

Dr. Olsen scrubbed his arms rigidly with soap. He flicked both hands to rid them of the dripping water and held them down as a nurse strapped plastic gloves around them. He tied a light blue face mask around his head and then stepped into a gown that the nurse tied around his waist. She gave him a soft pat on the shoulder to say 'you're good to go'. Swiftly, Dr. Olsen pushed open the door to the operating room and made his way to the still body on the table. For just one moment, he caught the face of the man that lay unconscious under a layer of anesthesia and probably another giant one of shuddering pain. Olsen recognized solemnly that he knew this boy distantly.

_Bolton_, he thought. This was Troy Bolton. The son was of his old college friend, Jack Bolton. It has been years since the two have met again ever since their last seeing each other at graduation. And now there was no worse way to meet his friend's son than under the surgical scalpel. Thank god that he wouldn't have to make the call to Jack that his son was gone forever. But what he's heard, because the Boltons were never such a quiet family, was that Jack hadn't seen Troy in a while either.

Dr. Olsen admired the body in front of him. It was stained in blood from the puncture wound but you could still make out the firm skin of youth underneath all the mess. _Such a pretty boy,_ he thought sympathetically. No doubt he would have gained the popularity of his father and the intelligence of his mother. He only wished that Troy wouldn't have been stupid enough to get himself caught in the situation that ended him up with a bullet through his chest.

Carefully with his scalpel, Olsen drew a short line on the on either side of the puncture to make his first incision. The nurses around him worked to get through the surgery as clean as possible as he felt around in Troy's body ever so gently to find the metallic weight that had invaded him. At once, it materialized in his hand. In a clean movement, Olsen pulled the bullet out of his body and dropped it in a pan that his assistant was holding out for him. Before attending the actual wound, he glanced at the bronze mass that clambered against the silver bowl. It too was stained with blood. In two more glances, he looked at Troy at his fingertips and then at the screen above him to observe his patient's vitals. It was a relief to see that his heart was beating, even if it was a weak thump. Olsen began to mend the rest of Troy's body using the years of practice behind him.

Four inches. If the bullet had pierced through him just four inches to the north, Troy would've been a dead man. _Whatever is it that's holding this boy together,_ Olsen thought, _let it be there forever._

* * *

><p><em>The Hospital<br>Room 3241_

"Oh, golden boy…" a sing- song voice from a distance called for Troy. "Wake up, Troysie".

A flush of annoyance waved through his mind. He hated that name. There was only one person who had the guts to call him something so nauseating. Sharpay came. He wondered if she was worried at all about him surviving the last 15 hours of his life. But it was like Sharpay to act like nothing had gone wrong when the whole world took a giant turn. She was an apt devotee of the phrase 'Ignorance is Bliss'.

"Come on, big boy. Your girl is waiting here for you" she said again. Now, Troy yearned to wake up but there was a fog above him that he couldn't reach through. Flashes of the last he saw Gabriella went through his head as it slowly lifted.

After what felt like forever, Troy's eyes blinked open. He had to take a moment for his eyes to focus on the room around him. It was a cozy hospital room, something far from what Troy expected. There were curtains hung by the window, a caramel tone on the walls. He found a pair of hazel eyes that gazed down at him but no other.

"Where's Gabriella?" he croaked, clearing away the wad in his throat immediately after.

"Coming" answered Sharpay.

"You said she was here" he accused.

"I lied" said Sharpay simply. She gave him a playful look. "Didn't think you could hear that"

Troy rolled his eyes and groaned inwardly, but so much so that Sharpay could see that he was genuinely unhappy that she was the first person he sees after he wakes up. Troy had a ready mind to go back to sleep and pretend like this version of the story never happened.

"Is that how you're going to treat someone so kind enough to pay the doctors who saved your life?" he suddenly heard. Troy's eyes shot open again.

"What?"

"Thought that was why you called me here first" said Sharpay. For a moment, Troy felt bad. That really was the reason why he called for her.

"Yeah, but I was thinking along the lines of a split or something" he suggested.

Sharpay made a sarcastic look. "Right, so the bill's $50K. Do you wanna go 25 each?".

"Fuck" swore Troy and he looked away. He couldn't even split it evenly. Sharpay smiled down at him warmly and then leaned back in her seat. She took Troy's arm and squeezed it.

"Don't worry about it Troy" she told him. "Thank god my parents are rich too".

Troy turned back to her. He was incredulous. "You're parents are not going to say anything to $50K?"

Sharpay just shrugged. "They already owe me anyway" she said. "Five thousand dollars for every new dad from mom, and five thousand for every time I found dad cheating on his wife"

Troy chuckled then winced at the stabbing pain. Through his stifled laugh he said, "I forgot your parents were so fucked up"

Sharpay laughed with him. "Not as fucked up as yours, golden boy" she retorted. Troy couldn't say anything back because he was in full agreement. He just smiled widely, avoided another throbbing laugh.

They remained silent for a while. Troy began staring at the ceiling much like Gabriella does from time to time and Sharpay kept her eyes on him admiringly.

"So, you really didn't just think of me first because I'm your greatest friend?" asked Sharpay, half- joking and half-serious. She wanted the joking side to stand out more prominent.

Troy smirked. "Course not. Just need your money, Evans"

Sharpay chortled again smoothly. She looked down at her hands as the silence took the room again. Sharpay had admitted long ago that she missed Troy. They spent hours on end together before. Though the two never shared an ounce of romantic feelings towards each other, their friendship was strong. After all, a deranged, spoiled childhood leaves you with only a few people who don't think money is everything. The two were the only people that could fully understand each other.

Sharpay knew that Troy didn't miss her. He had Gabriella. But at times, she wondered if it was the other way around, if Sharpay had left the family for someone their parents didn't approve of; would Troy miss her? Maybe it was the fact that their relationship was always earthy that made Troy just leave so irrationally. She couldn't help but wonder that if Troy and her had engaged in some sort of affair, they wouldn't be in such a predicament back home. Maybe things wouldn't have taken a downward spiral to hell so quickly.

"Where's Taylor?" Troy took Sharpay out of her thoughts.

"Waiting for Chad and Gabriella downstairs" replied Sharpay. Troy nodded shortly but inside he was filled with bliss with the knowledge that Gabriella was coming.

"And Jaden? How's Jaden" he inquired. Sharpay turned her head to the window behind her where on the cushioned sill was a sleeping dark skinned boy with matching hair as his father. Troy smiled.

"He had a long night" Sharpay said. Troy raised his eyebrows in agreement. Another silence. This time it was shorter.

"So what's this Taylor tells me about Gabriella going to college?" Sharpay asked.

Troy grinned. Like that, he started the long proud story. He told her about the Gabriella's dream of being a doctor. He described their days for the past two weeks and Christmas and how Gabriella was working so hard in college. Troy even hinted at some of the details about their family in the future. When he finished, Sharpay was almost jealous of Gabriella for having such a wonderful boyfriend. They just smiled at each other, Troy thinking about how happy Gabriella is going to be in the future and Sharpay thinking the same about Troy. Suddenly, she gasped.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Sharpay reached into the baggy, leather purse at her feet and pulled out a small rectangular object with a wire wrapped around it. Troy's eyes shone with delight. "I stole this when your dad cleared out your room".

His stomach twisted at the image of an empty room back at home but the return of his beloved iPod balanced out his emotion. He reached out for it happily. Once in his hands, he unraveled the headphones and put each bud in its respective ear. He pressed the home button, then music, and then scrolled through the list of tunes that he dearly missed.

After a second, those sparkling blue eyes looked back up at Sharpay and he said, "Thank you, Shar"

Sharpay reached up and ran a hand through Troy's hair with a welcoming smile. Her cool hand reminded him of his mother's touch. Every night when he was a boy, his mother would come into his room, shuffle his hair and give him a kiss that smelled like cigarettes.

"Gabriella's a lucky girl, Troy" said Sharpay softly. Troy looked beyond Sharpay suddenly with an expression that made him age forty years.

"No" said Troy. "I'm the lucky one".

An hour later, Sharpay watched Troy and Gabriella's reunion from the glass window outside. Chad had just said a few words then left the two to be. Gabriella then climbed into the bed with Troy, careful not to disrupt any gauze or wrapping. He showed her the scar that the bullet left on his body and even from outside, Sharpay could see the anguish running through Gabriella's eyes. When the tears started to run down her face, Troy wiped them away and let her head lay on his chest. Soon, they developed a healthy conversation that Sharpay couldn't hear. Her guess was that they were planning on how to narrate the story of how Troy got shot to their kids. Or something along those lines.

With a sigh, Sharpay turned a sat on the bench that faced the wall opposite from Troy's room, leaving them alone. The love that Troy and Gabriella shared was a strong one. At least, Sharpay hoped it was. She needed it to be.

* * *

><p>As the doctors had promised to Gabriella, Troy was home by Christmas. Gabriella spent the next two days by Troy's side. She didn't go to work or bring books along with her to study. They just spent time together. On Christmas Eve, they shared loving kisses on the thin hospital bed and slept by each other's side peacefully. And, in the morning, Troy was ready to be discharged. Of course, he was bed ridden for the next couple of weeks and was given an orange container of pills to help him heal but nevertheless, he was home.<p>

Now, Gabriella held Troy's clean shirt out so that her boyfriend could slip his arms into them. He was facing the other way and his movements were still very slow. Troy's side still hurt and he was told that it would be like that for at least another month. It would be painful of course, but Troy's main worry was how long it would keep him away from work. Although Sharpay had promised that she would fill in all the necessary payments while Troy was healing, he didn't want any more reason to owe her his life. It was a horrible feeling, knowing that you've become dependent on somebody.

Troy turned to face Gabriella. She had been solemn the whole morning and he had only an inkling as to what was bothering her As she buttoned his shirt up, Troy pecked kisses on her face in an attempt to cheer her up. She smiled into them but only for a moment.

"Merry Christmas" Troy said, softly and then took her lips into his. Gabriella finished buttoned and circled her arms around his neck. She could feel the wire of Troy's headphones against her chest. She sighed into Troy's kiss.

Gabriella pushed Troy's wheelchair out of their room once he was seated in it comfortably. Outside, Sharpay was waiting for them with a cab. They all agreed that Sharpay was going to be staying with them until Troy's bed rest is over so that Gabriella could go to college while Sharpay took care of Troy. As she stood in the snow, she held a bag of supplies that the doctors gave her that was filled with almost seven rolls of gauze for Troy's wound, his pain killers, a notebook of pain remedies, and exercises that Troy needed to do in his weeks of healing.

The trip home was not long. Troy and Gabriella sat together, arm in arm while Sharpay sat on the other end of the cab the whole time. The car was silent and heavy between the three of them. It had taken a long time for them to agree on what to do for the next month. Gabriella needed to return to college in a week's time but even after that Troy still needed to be taken care of. Sharpay insisted, almost annoyingly to Troy, that she can take care of him the other four weeks. But, then came the problem that Sharpay had no idea what went where, how to work things and where the grocery store was in Troy and Gabriella's neighborhood. She was practically clueless when it came to taking care of herself; nonetheless, taking care of an injured person. Then, Gabriella suggested that she can skip classes and just take care of Troy herself. Quickly and without a question, Troy rejected that idea. Sharpay simply looked at her sympathetically and with a shake of her head, the idea was as good as dead. It was then decided that Sharpay would spend not four but five weeks with Troy and Gabriella and the first week would be spent learning the routine in which they lived.

Gabriella felt completely useless, then. Her boyfriend was injured. He almost died and she couldn't take the time to mend him up. She was to go on to college and work like nothing happened in the first place. It would be impossible, Gabriella knew, to ignore that what happened had a lot to do with her. Not directly, but the guilt that gnawed at her mind before was driving her mad now. The repeating thoughts that went over in her head were yelling now: Where would Troy be right now if he didn't move in with Gabriella? Did Troy still feel like moving was still worth it? And newly formed questions like: Is he safe? Are the two of them safe? Will they ever be?

They constantly echoed in her brain. That murmur was enough for Gabriella to give Troy up all together. It was so much easier back when she was alone. There was only one person to look out for and even if she screwed up, only one person would face the consequences.

Then, her mind would jump sides completely and remind her that Troy never once told her or even looked like he was suffering. He has been there by her side like he's promised. He encouraged her dreams and made them reality. He took care of her every day. He strengthened her.

"Gabriella" Troy called out her. They were back at home now and she had been in her distant world for the longest time this morning. She had confirmed Troy's worries about her. "What's wrong?".

Sharpay had excused herself, after placing her bags in front of the coat closet, to go to the bathroom. They heard the high pitched hum of the shower running from their bedroom.

Troy set his newfound iPod on their bed carefully and scooped her up in his arms. His hold was gentle, not like before when he could engulf Gabriella with his scent and make her forget everything she was thinking about. She figured the wound had a lot to do with this. Gabriella's eyes fell on the iPod on the bed from his shoulder. She frowned. Yet, another thing that reminded her of how incompetent she was.

"It's Christmas" Gabriella told Troy, deciding there was no reason not to confess what was bothering her.

"Yeah?" he was being so irritatingly nonchalant.

She hesitated. Troy pulled away from her and sat down on the bed, tossing the iPod aside to the far edge of the bed so that she could follow him down. She did. They both leaned against the feeble wooden headboard.

"I got the employee of the month bonus" Gabriella started. She continued before Troy could congratulate her. "The Christmas bonus too. And, I thought that with that money I could..buy you something for Christmas"

Troy looked at her like she was being ridiculous now. Gabriella felt like she needed to explain herself fully. She sat up and faced Troy. "Because, babe, you've been so good to me. Since I've started school, you've just been…" she couldn't put a word on it exactly. "perfect" she said finally. "You've been perfect from the beginning" she let her index finger trace the shape of his face smoothly. "I wish I could be like you"

Troy watched her carefully. He didn't know what to say. He remembered Thanksgiving at work and how he doubted if moving in with Gabriella was really worth it. He knew it was. It was a truth; like how the sun rises in the morning and sets at night. And because he's accepted that it was the truth, he was inclined to believe that anything opposite it was false. That's how nothing disturbed him. How he was supposedly so strong. As for the kind gestures, Troy wanted to do something to express how immensely proud he was of Gabriella for going back to school and work so hard to fulfill her dreams. But he hardly thought that made him anywhere near perfect. Surely, he has some flaw. He was only human.

"If it's any consolation, I didn't get you anything either" Troy resorted to saying. Gabriella's lips curved, making the nervous lines on her face disappear for a second.

"It isn't. You've already given me everything". responded Gabriella indifferently.

"I have" said Troy truthfully. "But, couldn't you say that I gave up a few dollars a car for something worth far more than anything?" Troy stroked her hair, running his fingers through those luscious curls. Gabriella's eye contact weakened.

"I wouldn't know what a few dollars a car is worth to say that" she said, looking away from him sadly. He followed her gaze.

"Is that what you want then? A few dollars and a car?" he said after moment's pause. She suddenly looked back up.

Was it? All her life, she's been living to survive the next day and every single minute, she dreamed of a day when she didn't have to worry. She wanted the luxury of taking things for granted. Her heart pounded inside Gabriella as if to confirm it really was what she wanted. But how completely arrogant is it to think that? Just detestable, wasn't it? How could she say that even after Troy had given her everything, even his very life, she still wanted more?

Gabriella watched Troy's eyes as they observed hers. The strong blue made her stir. She could only comprehend that those beautiful eyes were anything but sad. What would he think if she said that she wanted that? Would he allow it? Would he tell her it wasn't worth it? Was it so wrong for her to desire it so badly?

"I want to be happy, Troy" Gabriella told him at last.

Troy said nothing. He simply nodded and then willingly put an arm around Gabriella as she curled up next to him again. She waited but all she could hear again was the hum of Sharpay's shower in the bathroom. And, his silence crushed her.


	6. Chapter 5

**This is not my first story where I attribute a song to a chapter but this chapter is the first one that I feel like fits SO perfectly with this chapter.  
>You guys are awesome. If any of you are wondering when I'll update When You Speak, I Listen: that's next in line! <strong>

**Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical **

**I hope you like this! Oh, and consider it my holiday present because I'm totally in love with the end of this chapter..hopefully it's worth it. Tell me what you think!**

* * *

><p><em>I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold.<em>_  
><em>_I'll be fine once I get it, I'll be good._

_**Pursuit of Happiness **__by Kid Cudi _

In truth, Troy couldn't answer her. He wasn't able to bring to his tongue the words that expressed exactly what he thought. He didn't know what to think. It scared Troy that he couldn't relate with Gabriella at all. He couldn't understand why just them being together wasn't enough for her. Troy wasn't angry with her. But suddenly, Gabriella seemed like a stranger to him. When they first met, Gabriella was so confident. She had a life set for her. She didn't look for anything special. Then, Troy happened to her so wasn't she supposed to be happier?

What frustrated him the most was that he wasn't enough for her. Gabriella was everything to him. He didn't need anything more but to see her every day. Somehow, that not being the same for Gabriella made him completely uncomfortable. It meant that she wasn't done looking. She had options.

For the next week, Troy couldn't make eye contact with Gabriella. He had Sharpay rewrap his dressing and check if all the sutures were still intact. He didn't want to talk to Gabriella no matter how much he missed her. For two days, he disregarded her presence in their apartment as much as possible. She tried to talk to him from time to time but his short answers killed her hopes of trying anymore. By Wednesday, Gabriella left their home entirely. She told him promptly on the morning of that day that she was going to the Elmira Library to catch up on her studying.

Thursday and Friday, Troy didn't see her at all. That scared him the most. It made him edgy and constantly worried where she was. Sharpay told him that Gabriella dropped in for more than an hour for lunch but it was conveniently when he was sleeping so he missed seeing her. Thoughts of her off with some other college boy or partying ridiculously haunted Troy. He wanted her back and cursed himself for ever being so stubborn. What was he playing at? After all that he promised her?

Now, it's the morning of Saturday the 31st of December as the cold morning reached Troy and pulled him out of his ineffective slumber. He couldn't sleep all night. He fidgeted around in bed until midnight when he seemed to have drifted off to sleep. Gabriella didn't come home yet and he was dreading that something may have happened. Troy woke up again at 2 AM to find an empty bed side. He stared at the pillow Sharpay punched back to life that was empty on the side where Gabriella usually laid. He decided to wait for Gabriella until she came home but only when he had a reason to stay awake, Troy's eyelids refused to be open. Even after he dropped into unconsciousness, Troy's dreams taunted him with his deepest fears. He finally awoke at 7 AM to the numbing cold morning still completely exhausted.

Troy peered to the side with his breath held, hoping that Gabriella would be there. Again, it was empty. His heart shattered. He felt a surge of despair pass through him, then anger at himself for making things go so horribly wrong. _Fuck, fuck, fuck. _Troy repeated in his mind. He sat up slowly, wincing slightly at the throb in his side. His wound was now less painful than the void in his chest that was without Gabriella. Sharpay had cold hands and always took forever to wrap the gauze around the stitches. Troy knew that Gabriella could do it with skillful movements and he would never have to worry about her nails scratching his skin.

Abruptly, the door to his room creaked. His eyes went there immediately. And, as if someone instantly turned it on, Troy's heart started chant wildly in his chest. Her brown hair was tied up in a bun and she was already in her pajamas. It looked as if she was trying to sneak in without disturbing him.

"Gabriella!" cried Troy, relieved. She looked up at him startled, obviously surprised by his sudden turn in emotion. Troy couldn't hold himself together any longer. "Where have you been?".

Gabriella stared at Troy from the doorway. Her ears were swimming in bliss even though alarms went off in her head. She was ecstatic that Troy was acknowledging her again but she didn't know whether she should be mad at how tenacious he was being. She decided to answer him first.

"I fell asleep on the couch last night. Sharpay and I were…talking, I guess" she told him.

"Oh" said Troy. _She was on couch last night._ He repeated in his head. The couch. Now, Troy felt like an idiot. He just lost precious sleep because he couldn't trust his girlfriend on a Friday night. His mind had been so wrapped around Gabriella being gone that he thought that Sharpay had been talking on speaker phone with someone from back home. Troy hesitated now. Relief was overwhelming him now that the thousand and one predictions that he came up with of where Gabriella might be were all false. But, now Troy had nothing else to say.

He glanced up at Gabriella who still stood in the doorway of their bedroom awkwardly. She looked at Troy with sad eyes that for a moment made him think she yearned to be with him as much as he did her. In a split second though, the expression was gone and she made her way to the closet to pick out a pair of clothes. And, then she was gone again. In a few moments he heard the shower turn in the next room and he was left behind trying to pick the pieces of his heart back up.

Troy was confined to his bed. For the first week, the nurses apparently told Sharpay that he was not to leave his bedside and walking at this point was more dangerous to him than getting shot again. As far as he knew, that was the only thing keeping him from joining Gabriella in the shower. He remembered just five weeks ago Troy was in there with his arms around Gabriella, comforting her when she needed it.

With haste, Troy stuffed the headphones of his iPod, turned the volume to maximum and closed his eyes to bask in his self-hate.

* * *

><p>The day went by painfully slow, like the past week had been for Troy. He was stuck in his room and only had company when Sharpay brought lunch for him. Otherwise, Troy just listened to music all day and stared out the window to the white New Year's Eve outside. He waited for Gabriella come inside to his room but she didn't.<p>

Finally, when it was dark outside again, the door creaked open. A sweetness filled his chest as those brown eyes met his. The yellow light from the lamp next to him was the only thing that lit the room up. Her lanky shadow fell on the wall opposite where she was standing. She looked beautiful. Gabriella wore a white mini-skirt with black sheer stockings underneath them and a red sweater top that she tucked into the high-waisted skirt. Her hair was down and perfectly straight. There was pink on her cheeks and a black outline around her eyes. Needless to say, Gabriella looked stunning and she made Troy's breath hitch in his throat.

He swallowed. It was New Year's Eve. He was injured and in bed and she was looked amazing. Troy could fit the pieces of the puzzle together before Gabriella said them.

"I –um- There's this party in the Elmira Hall. It's New Year's Eve and I thought-"

"Go" Troy said softly. It wasn't cold or harsh but Gabriella looked down and winced as if she was holding back tears. Troy wanted to leap up and bring her back to their bed and make her never leave. He wanted to celebrate the New Year in his own way but he felt hopeless. She wanted to go and making her stay wouldn't make him feel any better.

Gabriella didn't say more. She turned and left. A few seconds later, he heard the front door of the apartment close. Troy began to make an effort to cover himself in bed sheets but before he could, there was a shuffling in the door. It slammed against the opposite wall.

"What the fuck?" His eyes blinked open. Sharpay was in an apron with a spatula in her hand, poised up as if threatening to hit Troy with it. "What the hell was that?"

"What are you-?" started Troy, but she continued talking.

"You just let her go?" she gasped. "I didn't just spend four hours getting her all prettied up for you to give her off to some other frat boy at that fucking party!"

"I knew she didn't own a straightener" Troy remarked.

"Ugh!" exclaimed Sharpay. She marched up to him and prodded his forehead with her palm. "You're so thick! All week you've been such a fucking idiot! She's been sleeping on the coach for the past three nights, you know that right? I'm fine, sharing it with her, but she has a fucking bed right here" she waved to the empty spot next to him.

"Shar, you don't understand"

"She thinks you hate her, Troy!"

It felt as if Sharpay had hit him again but harder. "What? I don't-"

"It doesn't matter now, does it? She's gone! You idiot!" she began to shove him with her hands against his chest.

"Ow! Ow!" cried Troy. She didn't care if she was hitting his injury at all. He grabbed her arms and his firm grip stopped her from hitting him anymore. "Stop that!"

Sharpay gave him a deathly glare for a second and then weakened her pressure. She sat at his feet on the bed, cross-legged. Troy could see the numerous stains on her apron from her failed attempts at cooking a meal. Another thing he missed about Gabriella was her healthy and fulfilling meals. Sharpay's were bland and usually either burnt or under cooked.

"Can I ask- what started all this?" Sharpay asked. Her eyes were still squinted at Troy in her disgust.

"We had a…disagreement" Troy settled.

"You sound like my mom" Sharpay commented and Troy looked at her sarcastically. "What was this 'disagreement" she said it mockingly.

Troy again observed her, wondering if it was worth telling Sharpay this. With a deep inhale, he decided she never hurt him before and on the exhale he began, "She's not happy"

Sharpay squinted again and turned her head to the side, unsure. "Not happy?"

"Yeah, not happy. She's not fulfilled or satisfied with life"

A smirk played at Sharpay's lips. Troy could tell that Sharpay instantly thought this was silly. "And you are?"

Troy shrugged. "Yeah" he said simply. Sharpay guffawed, throwing head back with her mouth gaping open.

"You're happy?" she doubted loudly. Troy rolled his eyes. "Seriously?"

"Yes, I'm happy" Sharpay didn't stop laughing. She hunched over with her eyes closed and mouth still open.

"What's so funny?" Troy demanded, slightly offended that she found this hilarious.

"Because!" she hid her face behind her hands in another attack of giggles. "Because, you , Troy Bolton, are _not _happy. You can't be!"

"You can't say that!" defended Troy.

"Look around you, Bolton!" she argued. She flailed her arms around to emphasize her point. Troy felt silly but he did and saw what she meant distantly. "Is this what you want?"

"No, but I have Gabriella"

Sharpay gave him a skeptical look. "Fine. You have Gabriella. But that's not supposed to suddenly make your life easier-"

Troy interrupted, "I didn't say my life was easy-"

"Okay, still, just because you're with Gabriella doesn't give you a free pass in life" she explained. Troy still didn't understand what she was saying. Sharpay scooted closer to her. "Look, how many hours a day do you see Gabriella?" she asked.

"I don't know- like two in the morning and then five at night"

"So seven hours of the day you're with Gabriella" she told him. "But, what about the other seventeen hours? You really want to spend that time being a car mechanic? You want to live in this dump all your life? Do you think Gabriella wants to live like this?"

Troy could see what Sharpay was trying to get at now but he had a ready argument, "So? Life's not meant to be easy, Shar"

"Right, but just because it's not meant to be easy doesn't mean you stop trying to make it better" Sharpay said wisely. Troy paused for a moment to let it soak in.

"We haven't stopped. Gabriella's trying to become a doctor now" he said.

"That's great, Troy. But only for Gabriella" Sharpay's voice was calm now and she almost sounded like she was talking to a child. "What about you?

"While she's off playing doctor, you really want to stay a car mechanic? What do you want to grow up to be, Troy?"

Troy didn't say anything back to Sharpay. She stood up from his bed, ruffled his hair a bit and then exited the room humming quietly to herself.

Troy never thought about his future. He was a believer in 'one day at a time'. That habit was not good in cases when you had to think about the rest of your life. In high school, he remembered his teachers and counselors asking him what his career ideas were and back then, he had no idea so he pushed it aside. He began classes in NYU mindlessly. He did enough work to do well but partying was his main objective. Then, he met Gabriella and his life slowly started to revolve around her. Until now, when his future was forgotten in the shadow of hers.

And for the first time, as if a huge lock had been unhinged, Troy understood what was going on in Gabriella's head all this time. Even if she wasn't completely concerned about Troy's future more than he was himself, she still had plenty to worry about. She can constantly think about if she's made the right choice or not, if it's worth the while and on top of it, if it's too much of a burden for Troy. Troy wasn't everything in her life. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, loved ones are just there to make the hard times easier and the good times better. Sometimes you don't even know it's them that are doing it.

Maybe that's what Troy was for Gabriella. A satisfaction settled in Troy's heart. He knew, if that was really true, then he was actually okay with it. He realized that Gabriella in fact wasn't everything in his life. He had dreams and wishes of his own. Now, he just had to figure out what they were.

* * *

><p>Gabriella felt absurd. Out of place, was the correct phrasing. She belonged in her boyfriend's arms back at home. What the hell was she doing here? Slowly but surely, she remembered.<p>

The first thing she did at this party was wipe the tears off of her face in the bathroom that rolled down in her face from the ride here. Sharpay had done such a great job on her. She looked remarkable and she couldn't believe it herself. But Gabriella felt like half of her was literally missing somewhere. The worst part was that she could imagine Troy laying on his bed right now completely alone on New Year's Eve. She left him there. She felt like Cruella de Vil.

A part from her, the rest of the party wasn't so miserable. People were dancing, a good majority of them were probably drunk. There were people mingling and laughing and genuinely enjoying themselves. Only Gabriella was in a corner, at the punch station, standing alone. A boy approached her. He had blonde hair that reached his eyebrows and a square jaw. His eyes were green and focused on Gabriella. She smiled at him graciously.

His name was Alex and Gabriella knew him from her biology class. He was the one that invited her to this party. As far as Gabriella knew, he may be just a nice boy trying to be friendly but other than Troy when they first met, she's never met another guy like that.

"You came" he said. Gabriella nodded. She didn't feel like talking much. More like going home and curling up next to Troy.

She put her hands up and said, "I'm here". Alex chuckled.

"Like it?" he asked, looking around to the party.

"It's alright" replied Gabriella, shrugging.

"You didn't come with anyone?" Alex didn't know that Gabriella had a boyfriend. In total, the two probably have spoken to each other about three times. The first time he was asking her a question. The second was over a group study session in the library and the last was a day ago in the library when he invited her to this party. It never came up.

Gabriella just shook her head. The music changed into another upbeat song. People cheered in favor of it and the DJ continued mixing it. Gabriella gave a sideways glance to the clock above the entrance of Elmira Hall. It was 11:15. A half an hour to the new year. Her eyes then dropped longingly towards the exit, wondering if she could make a run for it.

Beside her Alex nudged her hand, "Dance with me" he put a hand out.

Gabriella stared at the hand. It was pale unlike Troy's caramel toned one. "I really don't think-"

"Come on. Just one dance" he took her hand in his and pulled her to the middle of the dance floor, through the crowd of sweaty partygoers.

In the next ten minutes, Gabriella could at least say she tried. She attempted to move with the beat and imitate Alex's steps. She looked around awkwardly as Alex tried to hold both her hands and guide her through a very simple slide-step-slide-step move. When she got that, he began dancing opposite her in fashion she couldn't quite put a word on. She could it wasn't his first time, though. Gabriella tried to close her eyes and just let time fly by but when she opened them again it only flew by a couple seconds.

Finally, Gabriella made another glance at the clock it read 11:30. If she ran, she could make it home just in time. Gabriella stopped dancing and waited a second until Alex noticed. She lifted herself on her toes and spoke into his ear.

"Look, my boyfriend is waiting for me at home. I really shouldn't have come here. Thanks for the invitation though. You're…a good guy, Alex" She felt his hands casually placed at her waist but as she spoke, they loosened slowly.

Gabriella gave him an apologetic look and then dashed out of the dance floor, then out of the hall. She grabbed her coat from the locker she left it in at the front desk and then headed out of the building.

The streets were empty as she made her way through them. She avoided all thoughts of guilt that ran through her mind about everyone else who didn't ditch their handicapped boyfriends at home to go to a party.

It was freezing outside and ice was fresh on the ground, making it hard for Gabriella to run home especially in her heels. She could feel them glide against the layers of ice momentarily and after that heart attack, Gabriella would continue hurrying home. Finally she made it to her apartment building, after admiring the light coming from Taylor and Chad's apartment in theirs, in twenty minutes. She made her way up them carefully and breathless.

Gabriella shoved the key inside the door knob and turned it sideways. The door budged open.

"You're back!" exclaimed Sharpay. "At least you are smart!"

She didn't stop to try to figure out what she meant. Instead, Gabriella made a determined turn towards her bedroom. She didn't consider if Troy was sleeping or not. She just flung open the door and let it bounce off the wall after she entered it. He was sleeping and her loud entrance seemed to have woken him up.

"Ella" he called out. Troy struggled to lift himself into a seated position on the bed. "You're back"

Gabriella's feet were bolted to the ground for a second. She was breathless, almost about to keel over from the amount of oxygen that she needed. She didn't even know what to do now but Troy seemed to take advantage of her seemingly endless panting.

"El, baby, I'm so sorry" he apologized sincerely. His voice was not groggy, like he was not actually sleeping but just laying down and thinking about Gabriella. "I should've understood. I didn't. But now I do. And, I'm fine. I know you want more. I know and I do too. I just need to figure out what I want for my future"

Troy began rambling, talking without stopping for a breath. His rant made him not notice the beautiful woman in front of him that was at the moment undressing herself.

Gabriella started with her jacket only because it started to get really hot in their bedroom. Then, she took off her shoes because her feet ached from those damn heels. She peeled off her stockings because she wasn't a fan of them sticking to her legs so tightly. When Gabriella looked back up and Troy was still talking about how sorry he is and he understands what she is going through, she glanced down at herself again and thought that this wasn't such a bad idea.

So, whether or not Troy noticed, Gabriella slipped her skirt down her legs and then her red sweater over her head until she was only in her underwear. Her breath calmed down now and a smile played at her lips because Troy hadn't observed her once yet. With giddiness filling her up, Gabriella unclasped her bra and dropped it in the ground and took a step closer to Troy.

He noticed her movement and stopped brusquely in his speech. He gawked at her, giving the expression that she wanted from him. With her eyes, lit up with smile, held in his, Gabriella slid her black lace panties down her legs teasingly.

"You're naked" said Troy.

She beamed down at him as she climbed into his lap. She let one leg dangle from the bed side and the other stay at Troy's side.

"I am" Gabriella said in a smooth voice. She rolled her hips over his and he grunted, letting his head hit the headboard with a sharp tap and his eyes go back into his head. When Troy opened his eyes again, his eyes matched the glee in Gabriella's. The same smirk played at his lips too. He grazed his hands against her smooth back and her arms wrapped around his neck. They gazed at each other for a long a moment. The rest of the words that never were told were expressed then. Gabriella pressed her chest against his and if Troy's wound was hurting, he didn't show one bit of it. Their breaths ran shallow as the awaited kiss advanced.

"Happy New Year" Gabriella whispered sexily against Troy's lips and their lips met fully.

Just at that moment a knock resounded at the door. Sharpay stood uncomfortably outside the door after just hearing everything that happened.

"Uh, guys? I know you don't really want me to be here right now, but the doctors said that sex might rip open Troy's stitches"


End file.
